Modulation of proteases and their inhibitors in immortal human osteoblast-like cells by tumor necrosis factor-alpha in vitro.

Inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are linked to abnormal cartilage and bone loss in a variety of pathological conditions. We have investigated the effect of TNF-alpha on the synthesis and/or steady-state mRNA levels of collagen, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), plasminogen activators (PAs) and their inhibitor PAI-1, and collagenases (MMPs) and their inhibitor TIMP-1 by human osteoblastic, HOS TE85, cells in monolayer cultures. HOS TE85 cells possess approximately 2000 TNF-alpha receptors per cell with a Kd value of 0.67 nM and receptor of approximately 60 kDa. TNF-alpha enhances urokinase-plasminogen activator (u-PA) activity and steady-state mRNA levels twofold without affecting tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA) or PAI-1. The increase in u-PA mRNA is due to enhanced transcription of this gene. mRNA levels or activities of collagenase 1 (MMP-1), 72- and 92-kDa gelatinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) are also nearly doubled with little change in the level of expression of TIMP-1. TNF-alpha does not significantly affect the activity or mRNA levels of ALP. TNF-alpha decreases collagen as well as general protein synthesis. However, the steady-state mRNA for the alpha 2 chain of collagen type I is increased three- to fourfold. These results show that TNF-alpha may increase pathological bone turnover by enhancing the rate of transcription of proteases capable of degrading the nonmineralized osteoid layer and decelerating the maturation of the extracellular matrix formed by osteoblasts.