The connexin 43 (Cx43) hemichannel (HC) in the mechanosensory osteocytes is a major portal for the release of factors responsible for the anabolic effects of mechanical loading on bone formation and remodeling. of the HC. These results determine an unconventional function of integrin that functions as a mechanical tether to induce opening of the HC and provide CNX-774 a mechanism linking the effect of mechanical causes directly to anabolic function of the bone. Mechanical loading plays a critical CNX-774 CNX-774 role in keeping skeletal integrity and redesigning of the bone (1). Osteocytes are dispersed throughout the mineralized matrix of the bone where in addition to being probably the most abundant cell type they function as mechanosensors. Mechanical forces applied to the bone cause fluid circulation through the lacunar-canalicular network surrounding the osteocyte (2). These causes stimulate cellular reactions that involve different types of receptors and multiple intracellular signaling pathways (3). Our laboratory and others have shown that signaling generated from fluid shear stress in osteocytes is likely to be transmitted between cells via gap-junction channels located at the tips of the connecting dendritic processes and through the hemichannel (HC) between the osteocyte cell body and dendrites and their lacunar-canalicular network (4 5 The signaling cascade activated by mechanical causes leads to the expression and release of important bone anabolic molecules such as prostaglandins and ATP through connexin 43 (Cx43) HCs expressed around the cell surface (5 6 Extracellular prostaglandins are crucial anabolic modulators that take action in an autocrine or paracrine manner to promote remodeling in response to mechanical stimulation (7). Therefore the HC provides an important means for regulating the anabolic responses of osteocytes to mechanical stress. Osteocytes interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the pericellular space through integrins focal adhesion proteins and transverse elements that bridge osteocyte processes to the canalicular wall (8 9 Integrins comprised of heterodimers of α and β subunits serve as the major receptors/transducers that connect the cytoskeleton to the ECM. Fibronectin (FN) in ECM is usually a ligand for integrin α5β1 acknowledged through arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) sequences in FN (10). Upon conversation integrins frequently form focal adhesions where they recruit proteins such as vinculin and paxillin (11). In addition to focal adhesions integrins also form fibrillar adhesions that are characterized by elongated/bead-like structures across the basal surface of the cell (12). Integrins CNX-774 are reported to be mechanical sensors around the cell surface (13) and have been proposed as candidate mechanosensors in bone cells (14 15 Mechanical stimulation is usually thought to invoke numerous signaling pathways that are known Rabbit Polyclonal to Histone H3 (phospho-Thr3). to be activated by integrins (16). Integrin α5β1 is usually expressed in bone and cartilage and can induce responses to mechanical stimuli (17 18 Hence integrins not only provide support to the cell through focal and fibrillar adhesions but also function as mechanosensors. There is some evidence that integrins are involved in connexin expression and gap-junction communication (19-21). However the association of connexins with integrins has not been reported and the molecular mechanisms by which integrins regulate connexins to impact channel functions are also unknown. Results Cx43 Interacts Directly with Integrin α5β1 and Fluid Circulation Enhances the Conversation. Integrin α5 and Cx43 colocalized in osteocytic MLO-Y4 cells (Fig. 1and Fig. S1 and … Integrin α5 and Its Conversation with Cx43 Are Required for the Opening of the HC. The effect of fluid circulation around the Cx43 HC function was analyzed by measuring the uptake of the tracer dye into the cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of α5 (Fig. 2< 0.001 α5 siRNA (60 or 90 ... To determine if uncoupling of the conversation between Cx43 and integrin α5β1 compromised the HC opening Cx43CT GFP-fusion protein (Cx43CT-GFP) was overexpressed in the cells (Fig. 2test was utilized for comparisons between two groups. Unless otherwise specified in the physique legends the data are offered as imply ± SEM of at least three determinations. Supplementary.