Osteoclastogenesis inhibition by mutated IGSF23 results in human osteopetrosis

OBJECTIVES: Osteopetrosis is a rare inherited skeletal disease characterized by increased bone mineral density due to the loss of osteoclast function or differentiation potential. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved a Chinese patient with osteopetrosis (the proband) and her immediate family members and 180 controls without osteopetrosis. Bone density of the femoral neck, lumbar spine and total body was measured using dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry. Osteoclast differentiation by the participants’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was investigated using tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. Osteoblast differentiation was examined with Alizarin Red S staining. Reverse transcription‐quantitative PCR was used to amplify immunoglobulin superfamily member 23 (IGSF23), c‐FOS and nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATC1). RESULTS: We found a homozygous mutation (c.295C>T) in the IGSF23 gene in two osteopetrosis samples. The mutation led to the formation of a stop codon, causing loss of the immunoglobulin‐like domain and the whole transmembrane domain. PBMCs from the proband (IGSF23 (−/−)) exhibited poor ability for differentiating into mature osteoclasts in vitro. Overexpression of IGSF23 rescued the ability of IGSF23 (−/−) PBMCs to differentiate into osteoclasts. Moreover, knockdown of IGSF23 reversed the bone loss in OVX mice by injecting AAV‐shIGSF23 into mice femoral bone marrow cavity. Furthermore, we also found that the IGSF23 mutation led to decreased c‐Fos and NFATC1 expression levels by inhibiting the mitogen‐activated protein kinase signalling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: IGSF23‐mediated osteoclast differentiation of PBMCs may serve as a potential target in osteoporosis therapy.