AUTHORS
Srilatha Swami, Joshua Johnson, Lawrence Vecchi, Matthew Kim, Beate Lanske, Rachelle Johnson, Joy Wu
ABSTRACT
Teriparatide, recombinant parathyroid hormone (PTH[1-34]), and abaloparatide, an analogue of PTH related-peptide (PTHrP[1-34]), are both anabolic medications for osteoporosis that target the PTH receptor PTH1R. PTH1R is a G protein-coupled receptor, and the stimulatory Gs protein is an important mediator of the anabolic actions of PTH1R activation in bone. We have published that mice lacking the α subunit of Gs in osteoprogenitors do not increase bone mass in response to PTH[1-34]. Unexpectedly, however, PTH[1-34] still increases osteoblast numbers and bone formation rate in male mice, suggesting that PTH1R may have both Gs-dependent and independent actions in bone. Here we examine the role of Gs signaling in the anabolic actions of abaloparatide. We find that abaloparatide increases bone formation in male mice with postnatal deletion of Gsα in Osx-expressing osteoprogenitors (P-GsαOsxKO mice), but not in female P-GsαOsxKO mice. Therefore, abaloparatide has anabolic effects on bone in male but not female mice that appear to be independent of Gs-mediated signaling.