Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that TNF-alpha-induced IL-6 production in MG-63 osteosarcoma cells occurs via the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway.
Competitive RT-PCR and Ala-pNA activity assays revealed that IL-6 and sIL-6R significantly increased the mRNA expression and activity of APN in both osteosarcoma cell lines.
Northern analysis demonstrated that in the osteosarcoma cell lines there was no regulation of syndecan transcript levels in response to PTH(1-34) or 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 for 24 or 48 h. In contrast, when MG-63 and SaOS-2 cells were incubated with IL-1beta (0.01-10 ng/mL) and IL-6 (0.1-50 ng/mL) there was a dose-dependent decrease in mRNA levels for syndecan-1 and -2 at 24 and 48 h, but in response to IL-1beta upregulation in the levels of syndecan-4 transcripts.
To determine the molecular basis of this effect, we analyzed the human IL-6 promoter fused (-1,179 to +9) with the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene in stable transfections into human osteoblast-like osteosarcoma SaOS-2 cells.
Both osteosarcoma cell lines have retained major functions of normal osteoblasts; principally, the capacity to produce hematopoietic growth factors (including IL-6) and osteocalcin, a noncollagenic protein essential in the bone formation process.