Gene expression in normotopic and heterotopic human bone: increased level of SP7 mRNA in pathological tissue

Head injury-induced heterotopic ossification (HO) develops at vicinity of joints and in severe cases requires surgical intervention. Our previous study demonstrated high mRNA levels of osteocalcin (OC), type 1 collagen (COL1), osteonectin and RUNX2/CBFA1 in osteocytes and lining osteoblasts from non-evolutive HO compared to equivalent healthy cells from the proximal femoral shaft of patients receiving prosthesis. This allowed a first molecular characterisation of this pathological bone. The aims of this study is to extend the analysis to 10 more genes and determine those involved in the high OC mRNA level observed in pathological bone samples. RNAs were prepared from normotopic and heterotopic human bone samples digested by collagenase. After cDNA synthesis, mRNA levels were determined by real-time PCR and normalised using beta actin and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. OSTERIX/SP7 expression was observed for the first time in human adult bone biopsies. In HO samples higher levels of SP7 (four- to sevenfold increase) and 1alpha,25-dihydroxy vitamin D(3) receptor (VDR) (two- to threefold increase) were observed compared to control samples. Moreover, SP7 level was correlated to OC and RUNX2 levels. In control samples, OC and SP7 levels were correlated. Our study further confirms that the involvement of SP7 in bone physiology is not only limited to the developmental step. Moreover, our results support the hypothesis that in HO the high level of OC expression could be due not only to an increase in RUNX2, but also in SP7 or VDR or to an imbalance in their respective activities.