Src protein and tyrosine‐phosphorylated protein profiles in marrow stroma during osteogenic stimulation

Src protein is essential for the regulation of bone turnover primarily via bone resorption because it is required in osteoclast differentiation and function. We followed temporal changes of Src protein abundance in marrow stromal cells induced to mineralize by dexamethasone (DEX), growth in cold temperature, or both. Given the tyrosine kinase function of Src and its numerous substrates, profiles of phosphotyrosine‐containing proteins were followed as well. On day 11 of stimulation, specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity at 30°C decreased under DEX relative to 37°C cultures, in accord with increased cell counts. Mineralization per well under DEX increased by 25% at 37°C, whereas at 30°C it increased by more than threefold regardless of the DEX stimulation. At 30°C, on a per cell basis mineralization increased 2.5 and 3 times with and without DEX, respectively. Cultures at 37°C showed a general drop per cell of many phosphotyrosine‐containing proteins on day 3 relative to days 1 and 2 in both DEX‐stimulated and nonstimulated cultures; several proteins did recover (recuperate) thereafter. On days 1 and 2, the phosphotyrosine signal was higher in several proteins under DEX stimulation; this trend became inverted after day 3. The changes in abundance per cell of Src protein (pp60src) followed a similar trend, and in addition a truncated Src molecule, p54/52src, was detected as a putative cleavage product presumably representing its carboxy terminus. The pp60src was most abundant, relative to its truncated product, in day 7 nonstimulated cultures, whereas under DEX stimulation the truncated species pp54/52src showed the highest relative abundance on days 7. At 30°C, DEX stimulation accentuated the increase in Src protein on day 3, showed no change on day 7, and returned to increase Src protein on day 10. Potassium ionophorvalinomycin, considered to select against mineralizing osteoprogenitors at 30°C, showed on day 10 in the absence of DEX a relative increase in truncated Src protein compared to both DEX‐stimulated and nonstimulated cultures in the absence of valinomycin. On day 7 of DEX stimulation, the presence of valinomycin resulted in low p54/52src. Among phosphotyrosine‐containing proteins, a 32–34 kDa band, as yet unidentified, showed the most concordant changes with mineralization induction. P32–34 decreased by DEX on days 2 and 8 and increased by low temperature alone or combined with DEX on day 3. On day 7, p32–34 did not change under DEX, but valinomycin selected cells with less phoshpotyrosine‐containing p32–34. Taken together, high Src abundance at the start of osteogenic induction followed by a decrease 1 week later is probably related to energy metabolism‐dependent induction of mineralization. This is in temporal accord with the increase in Src truncation and fluctuation in mitochondrial membrane potential (which affects mineralization). The reported binding of amino‐terminal Src oligopeptide to p32 ADP/ATP carrier in the mitochondrial inner membrane raises the question of its possible involvement in mitochondria‐regulated mineralization. J. Cell. Biochem. 69:316–325, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.