The Potential Functional Interaction of Biglycan and WISP-1 in Controlling Differentiation and Proliferation of Osteogenic Cells

Biglycan (BGN) and WISP-1 are 2 extracellular matrix proteins that bind to each other and colocalize in mineralizing tissue. Here we show that WISP-1 abrogates the repression of proliferation in bone marrow stromal cells induced by BGN. We also demonstrate that WISP-1 and its variant WISP-1va can alleviate the repressed osteogenic differentiation caused by the absence of BGN. These preliminary data suggest that WISP-1 and BGN may functionally interact and control each other's activity, thus regulating the differentiation and proliferation of osteogenic cells.