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First published online 19 September 2006
doi: 10.1242/jcs.03162

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Low peak bone mass and attenuated anabolic response to parathyroid hormone in mice with an osteoblast-specific deletion of connexin43

Dong Jin Chung^1,2,*, Charlles H. M. Castro^1,3,*, Marcus Watkins¹, Joseph P. Stains^1,, Min Young Chung², Vera Lucia Szejnfeld³, Klaus Willecke⁴, Martin Theis and Roberto Civitelli^1,¶

¹ Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
² Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam University Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Chonnam National University Medical Gwangju, Republic of Korea
³ Universidade Federal de São Paulo-Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brasil
⁴ Institut für Genetik, Universität Bonn, Germany

^¶ Author for correspondence (e-mail: rcivitel{at}im.wustl.edu)

Accepted 6 July 2006

Connexin43 (Cx43) is involved in bone development, but its role in adult bone homeostasis remains unknown. To overcome the postnatal lethality of Cx43 null mutation, we generated mice with selective osteoblast ablation of Cx43, obtained using a Cx43^fl allele and a 2.3-kb fragment of the ₁(I) collagen promoter to drive Cre in osteoblasts (ColCre). Conditionally osteoblast-deleted ColCre;Cx43^–/fl mice show no malformations at birth, but develop low peak bone mass and remain osteopenic with age, exhibiting reduced bone formation and defective osteoblast function. By both radiodensitometry and histology, bone mineral content increased rapidly and progressively in adult Cx43^+/fl mice after subcutaneous injection of parathyroid hormone (PTH), an effect significantly attenuated in ColCre;Cx43^–/fl mice, with Cx43^–/fl exhibiting an intermediate response. Attenuation of PTH anabolic action was associated with failure to increase mineral apposition rate in response to PTH in ColCre;Cx43^–/fl, despite an increased osteoblast number, suggesting a functional defect in Cx43-deficient bone-forming cells. In conclusion, lack of Cx43 in osteoblasts leads to suboptimal acquisition of peak bone mass, and hinders the bone anabolic effect of PTH. Cx43 represents a potential target for modulation of bone anabolism.

Key words: Gap junctions, Connexin43, Teriparatide, Bone anabolic agents, Conditional gene deletion

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