NUMB maintains bone mass by promoting degradation of PTEN and GLI1 via ubiquitination in osteoblasts

  • Ling Ye
  • , Feng Lou
  • , Fanyuan Yu
  • , Demao Zhang
  • , Chenglin Wang
  • , Fanzi Wu
  • , Xin Li
  • , Yilin Ping
  • , Xiao Yang
  • , Jing Yang
  • , Dian Chen
  • , Bo Gao
  • , Dingming Huang
  • , Peng Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

The adaptor protein NUMB is involved in asymmetric division and cell fate determination and recognized as an antagonist of Notch. Previous studies have proved that Notch activation in osteoblasts contributes to a high bone mass. In this study, however, an osteopenic phenotype was found in 9-week-old mice using osteoblastic specific Col1a1–2.3-Cre to ablate both Numb and its homologue Numbl. The trabecular bone mass decreased dramatically while the cortical bone mass was unaffected. Here, the Notch signal was not activated, while the tensin homologue deleted on human chromosome 10 (PTEN), which dephosphorylates phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases, was elevated, attenuating protein kinase B (Akt). The ubiquitination assay revealed that NUMB may physiologically promote PTEN ubiquitination in the presence of neural precursor cell-expressed developmentally downregulated protein 4–1. In addition, the deficiency of Numb/Numbl also activated the Hedgehog pathway through GLI1. This process was found to improve the ratio of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand to osteoprotegerin, which enhanced the differentiation of osteoclasts and bone resorption. In conclusion, this study provides an insight into new functons of NUMB and NUMBL on bone homeostasis.

Original languageEnglish
Article number32
JournalBone Research
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2018

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