MMP14 cleaves PTH1R in the chondrocyte-derived osteoblast lineage, curbing signaling intensity for proper bone anabolism

Bone homeostasis is regulated by hormones such as parathyroid hormone (PTH). While PTH can stimulate osteo-progenitor expansion and bone synthesis, how the PTH-signaling intensity in progenitors is controlled is unclear. Endochondral bone osteoblasts arise from perichondrium-derived osteoprogenitors and hypertrophic chondrocytes (HC). We found, via single-cell transcriptomics, that HC-descendent cells activate membrane-type 1 metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14) and the PTH pathway as they transition to osteoblasts in neonatal and adult mice. Unlike Mmp14 global knockouts, postnatal day 10 (p10) HC lineage-specific Mmp14 null mutants (Mmp14ΔHC) produce more bone. Mechanistically, MMP14 cleaves the extracellular domain of PTH1R, dampening PTH signaling, and consistent with the implied regulatory role, in Mmp14ΔHC mutants, PTH signaling is enhanced. We found that HC-derived osteoblasts contribute ~50% of osteogenesis promoted by treatment with PTH 1–34, and this response was amplified in Mmp14ΔHC. MMP14 control of PTH signaling likely applies also to both HC- and non-HC-derived osteoblasts because their transcriptomes are highly similar. Our study identifies a novel paradigm of MMP14 activity-mediated modulation of PTH signaling in the osteoblast lineage, contributing new insights into bone metabolism with therapeutic significance for bone-wasting diseases.