Valutazione del ruolo dell'espressione di IRS-1 nel differenziamento osteoblastico di cellule di osteosarcoma ed MSCs

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor affecting children and adolescents. OS has recently been re-considered as a differentiation disease, caused by genetic and epigenetic alterations which may impair normal bone development by blocking multipotent mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) differentiation into osteoblasts. The IGF-system is involved in regulating OS cell proliferation and differentiation. IRS-1 is a critical mediator of IGF-1R signaling and its expression level modulates hematopoietic cell differentiation. The aim of this study is to define the role of IRS-1 in the osteoblastic differentiation of MSCs and OS cells. Differentiating potential of human and murine OS cell lines and bone marrow-derived mouse MSCs was evaluated by Alizarin Red staining and real-time PCR. We found that IRS-1 expression level decreased during differentiation. Consequently, IRS-1 expression levels were manipulated using shRNAs to knock-down, or a plasmid to over-express the protein. Both down-regulation and over-expression of IRS-1 inhibited osteoblastic differentiation. To understand the contribution of IRS-1 in the IGF-1R pathway we used the ?IR-3 IGF-1R blocking antibody, which inhibited the differentiation process. The proteasome inhibitor MG-132 led to an increase in IRS-1 protein level that again inhibited osteoblastic differentiation, suggesting ubiquitination may play a role in maintaining the appropriate expression level of IRS-1. Taken together, these results indicate that IRS-1 expression level is critical for determining the differentiating capacity of MSCs as well as human and mouse OS cells and that precise regulation of IRS-1 expression by cells is required for this commitment to osteoblastic differentiation.