Human recombinant transforming growth factor alpha stimulates bone resorption and inhibits formation in vitro.

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Abstract
Human recombinant transforming growth factor .alpha. (TGF.alpha.), which binds to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and causes several biological effects similar to those caused by EGF, was compared with urine EGF for its effects on a number of parameters of bone cell metabolism. TGF.alpha. stimulated bone resorption in two organ culture systems, the fetal rat long bone and neonatal mouse calvarial systems. TGF.alpha. stimulated bone at concentrations as low as 0.1 ng/ml. TGF.alpha. stimulated bone resorption at concentrations as low as 0.1 ng/ml. TGF.alpha. effects on bone resorption in mouse calvariae were inhibited by indomethacin, suggesting that, like EGF, its effects were mediated by prostaglandin synthesis. TGF.alpha. had a different time course of action on bone resorption from that of EGF, causing more rapid release of previously incorporated 45Ca from bone cultures, suggesting that TGF.alpha. does not function on bone as a simple EGF analogue. TGF.alpha. also caused effects on osteoblast function resembling those of EGF. It inhibited alkaline phosphatase activity in cultured rat osteosarcoma cells with the osteoblast phenotype and inhibited collagen synthesis in fetal rat calvaria at concentrations of 1.0 ng/ml. The lowest concentration of TFG.alpha. (expressed as nanogram equivalents of EGF per ml) required to produce a response in all of the systems tested was about 1/10th of that needed for EGF to produce a similar effect. These results indicate that TGF.alpha. is a potent stimulator of bone resorption and inhibitor of bone formation as assessed by inhibition of collagen synthesis and alkaline phosphatase activity and are consistent with the hypothesis that TGF .alpha. may be responsible, at least in part, for the bone resorption associated with some tumors.