Identification of a human peripheral blood monocyte subset that differentiates into osteoclasts.

Department of Medicine and Rheumatology, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.

Increased bone resorption mediated by osteoclasts causes various diseases such as osteoporosis and bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoclasts are derived from the monocyte/macrophage lineage, but the precise origin remains unclear. In the present study, we show that the purified CD16- human peripheral blood monocyte subset, but not the CD16+ monocyte subset, differentiates into osteoclast by stimulation with receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL) in combination with macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). Integrin-beta3 mRNA and the integrin-alpha(v)beta3 heterodimer were only expressed on CD16- monocytes, when they were stimulated with RANKL + M-CSF. Downregulation of beta3-subunit expression by small interfering RNA targeting beta3 abrogated osteoclastogenesis from the CD16- monocyte subset. In contrast, the CD16+ monocyte subset expressed larger amounts of tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-6 than the CD16- subset, which was further enhanced by RANKL stimulation. Examination of RA synovial tissue showed accumulation of both CD16+ and CD16- macrophages. Our results suggest that peripheral blood monocytes consist of two functionally heterogeneous subsets with distinct responses to RANKL. Osteoclasts seem to originate from CD16- monocytes, and integrin beta3 is necessary for osteoclastogenesis. Blockade of accumulation and activation of CD16- monocytes could therefore be a beneficial approach as an anti-bone resorptive therapy, especially for RA.

PMID: 16987426 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC1779441