Procalcitonin NH2-terminal cleavage peptide has no mitogenic effect on normal human osteoblast-like cells

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Abstract
The NH2-terminal cleavage peptide of procalcitonin (N-proCT) recently was reported to be a bone cell mitogen (Burns DM et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 86:9519–9523, 1989). We have investigated the effect of N-proCT on the proliferation of normal human cells that have the phenotype of mature osteoblasts (hOB cells). N-proCT treatment for 24, 48, or 96 h in concentrations from 1 nM to 1 μM did not significantly increase [3H]thymidine uptake (means ranged from -19% to 38% of control, no significant differences) in hOB cells (6–10 cell strains per experiment) plated at four different densities. However, the hOB cells responded significantly to treatment with transforming growth factor β (3 ng/ml), bovine insulin (300 μg/ml), or 30% fetal calf serum, which were included in all experiments as positive controls. The [3H]thymidine uptake data were confirmed in a direct cell count experiment tested at 96 h. Thus our data do not support the hypothesis that N-proCT is a potent mitogen for normal human osteoblasts.
Funding Information
  • National Institutes of Health (AG-04875)