In Vitro Generation Of Osteoclasts From Interleukin-3 (IL-3)-Dependent Mouse Hematopoietic Cells

This work aims to develop a new strategy to generate murine osteoclasts in vitro using IL-3-dependent cells prepared by 6-day IL-3 treatment of murine bone marrow cells

1. Here, we describe an alternative method for in vitro generation of osteoclasts, which involves the use of interleukin (IL)-3-dependent murine bone marrow cells. Bone marrow cells, isolated from 6- to 8-week old C57BL/6 were cultured in α-MEM containing 10% FBS in tissue culture dishes overnight to remove stromal cells. Then, non-adherent bone marrow cells were harvested and continued in α-MEM containing 10% FBS without (control) or with IL-3 (1 ng/ml) for 6 days. While no cells survived in the control culture after the 6-day culturing, the IL-3-treated culture gave rise to a significant number of surviving cells. These IL-3-depedent cells were capable of differentiating to osteoclasts in response to M-CSF and RANKL stimulation. Moreover, these IL-3-dependent cells can be further expanded by plating them in non-treated plastic dishes followed with M-CSF treatment; they continued to survive and proliferate in non-treated plastic dishes in the presence of M-CSF for up to 4 days. After 4-day M-CSF treatment, these cells can be lifted by EDTA, and they were still able to differentiate into osteoclasts upon subsequent stimulation of M-CSF and RANKL.

2. We performed the in vitro bone resorption assay, Semiquantitative Reverse Transcription (RT)-PCR, Western Analysis, Infection of Murine Bone Marrow Cells (BMCs) to test whether the osteoclasts generated from IL-3-dependent murine bone marrow cells are different from the osteoclasts generated from traditional method.

1. IL-3 can maintain the survival of murine bone marrow cells for up to 6 days and these cells still keep their capacity to generate osteoclasts. The capacity of IL-3-dependent cells to form osteoclasts decreases with time of IL-3 treatment and IL-3 dependent cells can be further expanded by M-CSF without significant loss of the osteoclastogenic potential.

2. IL-3-dependent cells can form functional osteoclasts. RANKL induces the expression of osteoclast genes in IL-3-dependent cells. RANKL activates some of RANK signaling pathways in IL-3-dependent cells. Importantly, we found that IL-3 dependent murine bone marrow cells can be infected by retrovirus encoding GFP.

1) We have developed a new strategy to generate murine osteoclasts in vitro using IL-3-dependent cells prepared by 6-day IL-3 treatment of murine bone marrow cells.

2) IL-3-dependent cells can be infected by retrovirus, permitting further experimental manipulations to express or knock down genes in IL-3-dependent cells for studying the molecular mechanism controlling differentiation and proliferation of osteoclast precursors or delineating molecular events in early osteoclastogenesis.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.