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Accelerated osteocyte senescence and skeletal fragility in mice with type 2 diabetes
Brittany A. Eckhardt, Jennifer L. Rowsey, Brianne S. Thicke, Daniel G. Fraser, Katherine L. O’Grady, Olga P. Bondar, Jolaine M. Hines, Ravinder J. Singh, Andrew R. Thoreson, Kuntol Rakshit, Anthony B. Lagnado, João F. Passos, Adrian Vella, Aleksey V. Matveyenko, Sundeep Khosla, David G. Monroe, Joshua N. Farr
Brittany A. Eckhardt, Jennifer L. Rowsey, Brianne S. Thicke, Daniel G. Fraser, Katherine L. O’Grady, Olga P. Bondar, Jolaine M. Hines, Ravinder J. Singh, Andrew R. Thoreson, Kuntol Rakshit, Anthony B. Lagnado, João F. Passos, Adrian Vella, Aleksey V. Matveyenko, Sundeep Khosla, David G. Monroe, Joshua N. Farr
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Research Article Bone biology

Accelerated osteocyte senescence and skeletal fragility in mice with type 2 diabetes

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Abstract

The worldwide prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing. Despite normal to higher bone density, patients with T2D paradoxically have elevated fracture risk resulting, in part, from poor bone quality. Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) and inflammation as a consequence of enhanced receptor for AGE (RAGE) signaling are hypothesized culprits, although the exact mechanisms underlying skeletal dysfunction in T2D are unclear. Lack of inducible models that permit environmental (in obesity) and temporal (after skeletal maturity) control of T2D onset has hampered progress. Here, we show in C57BL/6 mice that a onetime pharmacological intervention (streptozotocin, STZ) initiated in adulthood combined with high-fat diet–induced (HFD-induced) obesity caused hallmark features of human adult-onset T2D, including prolonged hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and pancreatic β cell dysfunction, but not complete destruction. In addition, HFD/STZ (i.e., T2D) resulted in several changes in bone quality that closely mirror those observed in humans, including compromised bone microarchitecture, reduced biomechanical strength, impaired bone material properties, altered bone turnover, and elevated levels of the AGE CML in bone and blood. Furthermore, T2D led to the premature accumulation of senescent osteocytes with a unique proinflammatory signature. These findings highlight the RAGE pathway and senescent cells as potential targets to treat diabetic skeletal fragility.

Authors

Brittany A. Eckhardt, Jennifer L. Rowsey, Brianne S. Thicke, Daniel G. Fraser, Katherine L. O’Grady, Olga P. Bondar, Jolaine M. Hines, Ravinder J. Singh, Andrew R. Thoreson, Kuntol Rakshit, Anthony B. Lagnado, João F. Passos, Adrian Vella, Aleksey V. Matveyenko, Sundeep Khosla, David G. Monroe, Joshua N. Farr

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Figure 7

T2D is associated with accelerated osteocyte senescence in bone.

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T2D is associated with accelerated osteocyte senescence in bone.
In vivo...
In vivo rt-qPCR mRNA gene expression analyses of (A) p16Ink4a (Cdkn2a) and (B) p21Cip1 (Cdkn1a) in osteocyte-enriched bone samples. (C) Representative images of a nonsenescent osteocyte in an LFD/VEH mouse (original magnification, ×100) versus a senescent osteocyte in an HFD/STZ mouse according to the senescence-associated distension of satellites (SADS, see white arrows) assay in cortical bone diaphysis sections (scale bars: 2 μm); 30 osteocytes were analyzed per mouse (n = 10/group). C-FISH, centromere-FISH. (D) Quantification of the percentage of senescent osteocytes in mice according to the SADS assay. (E) Representative images of bone and within a nonsenescent osteocyte in an LFD/VEH mouse (original magnification, ×63, oil) versus a senescent osteocyte in an HFD/STZ mouse according to the telomere-associated foci (TAF, see white arrows) assay in cortical bone diaphysis sections; 50 osteocytes were analyzed per mouse (n = 10/group). Quantification of (F) the mean number of TAF per osteocyte and (G) the mean percentage of TAF-positive osteocytes per mouse based on the following criteria: percentage of OCYs with ≥1 TAF, percentage of OCYs with ≥2 TAF, and percentage of OCYs with ≥3 TAF, respectively. Data represent mean ± SEM (error bars). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001 (independent samples t test or Wilcoxon’s rank-sum test, as appropriate). HFD, high-fat diet; STZ, streptozotocin; T2D, type 2 diabetes; LFD, low-fat diet; VEH, vehicle; OCY’s, osteocytes.

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