Oral Presentation ANZBMS-MEPSA-ANZORS 2022

Osteocytes regulate organismal senescence of bone and bone marrow (#67)

Peng Ding 1 , Chuan Gao 1 , Youshui Gao 1 , Delin Liu 2 3 , Hao Li 1 , Jun Xu 1 , Xiaoyi Chen 4 , Yigang Huang 1 , Changqing Zhang 1 , Ming-Hao Zheng 2 3 , Junjie Gao 1 5
  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
  2. Centre for Orthopaedic Translational Research, Medical School, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
  3. Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
  4. Ningbo Institute of Life and Health Industry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
  5. Institute of Microsurgery on Extremities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China

The skeletal system contains a series of sophisticated cellular lineages arisen from the mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), that determine the homeostasis of bone and bone marrow. Here we reasoned that osteocyte may exert a function in regulation of these lineage cell specifications and tissue homeostasis.  Using a mouse model of conditional deletion of osteocytes, we demonstrated that partial ablation of DMP-1 positive osteocytes caused severe sarcopenia, osteoporosis and degenerative kyphosis and led to shorter lifespan in these animals.  Osteocyte reduction altered mesenchymal lineage commitment resulting in impairment of osteogenesis and induction of osteoclastogensis. Single cell RNA sequencing further revealed that hematopoietic lineage was mobilized towards myeloid lineage differentiation with expanded myeloid progenitors, neutrophils and monocytes, while the lymphopoiesis was impaired with reduced B cells in osteocyte ablation mice. The acquisition of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in both osteoprogenic and myeloid lineage cells was the underlying cause.  Together, we showed that osteocytes play critical roles in regulating of lineage cell specifications in bone through mediation of organismal senescence.