QKI deficiency leads to osteoporosis by promoting RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis and disrupting bone metabolism

Quaking (QKI), an RNA-binding protein, has been reported to exhibit numerous biological functions, such as mRNA regulation, cancer suppression, and anti-inflammation. However, little known about the effects of QKI on bone metabolism. In this study, we used a monocyte/macrophage-specific QKI knockout transgenic mouse model to investigate the effects of QKI deficiency on receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis. The loss of QKI promoted the formation of multinucleated tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts (OCs) from bone marrow macrophages, and upregulated the expression of OC-specific markers, including TRAP (Acp5) and cathepsin K (Ctsk). The pro-osteoclastogenesis effect of QKI deficiency was achieved by amplifying the signaling cascades of the NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways; then, signaling upregulated the activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1), which is considered to be the core transcription factor that regulates OC differentiation. In addition, QKI deficiency could inhibit osteoblast (OB) formation through the inflammatory microenvironment. Taken together, our data suggest that QKI deficiency promoted OC differentiation and disrupted bone metabolic balance, and eventually led to osteopenia under physiological conditions and aggravated the degree of osteoporosis under pathological conditions.