Parathyroid Hormone-related Peptide Stimulates Osteogenic Cell Proliferation through Protein Kinase C Activation of the Ras/Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Signaling Pathway

We investigated the mechanisms of parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP)-mediated effects on osteogenic cells in primary rat bone marrow cell (BMC) cultures. We first demonstrated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry that BMCs express the type I parathyroid hormone/PTHrP receptor. Treatment with PTHrP increased osteogenic cell proliferation as determined by (3)Hthymidine and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and augmented osteogenic colonies. Immunocytochemistry and Western blotting revealed no direct effect on expression of the osteoblast markers, type I collagen, bone sialoprotein, and osteocalcin, indicating that PTHrP did not directly stimulate differentiation in this system. PTHrP increased mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity in BMC and MAPK activity, and PTHrP-induced osteogenic cell proliferation could be blocked by the MEK inhibitor PD-098059. PTHrP also increased Ras activity in BMC. Although wortmannin and H8, inhibitors of phosphoinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase A, respectively, did not block PTHrP-stimulated Ras or MAPK activity, chelerythrin chloride, a known protein kinase C inhibitor, did block these PTHrP actions as well as PTHrP-induced osteogenic cell proliferation. These results demonstrate that PTHrP stimulates osteogenic cell proliferation in rat marrow mesenchymal progenitor cells through protein kinase C-dependent activation of the Ras and MAPK signaling pathway.