ZEB1 regulates bone metabolism in osteoporotic rats through inducing POLDIP2 transcription

Osteoporosis (OP) is a common metabolic bone disease mainly involving bone remodeling and blood vessels. The current study aimed to explore the role of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) in OP.

First, gene expression microarrays for OP were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and analyzed to screen for potential targets. Subsequently, a rat OP model was constructed using ovariectomy (OVX), and osteoblastic and osteoclastic differentiation and alterations in osteoporotic symptoms were observed upon intraperitoneal injection of oe-ZEB1 lentiviral vectors. DNA polymerase delta interacting protein 2 (POLDIP2) was predicted to be a downstream target of ZEB1, which was validated by ChIP-qPCR and dual-luciferase experiments. RAW264.7 cells were subjected to lentiviral vector infection of oe-ZEB1 and/or sh-POLDIP2, followed by RANKL treatment to induce osteoclast differentiation.

ZEB1 was poorly expressed in blood samples of postmenopausal patients with OP and in bone tissues of OVX-treated rats. Overexpression of ZEB1 or POLDIP2 in OVX rats promoted osteoblastogenesis and inhibited osteoclast differentiation. In RANKL-treated RAW264.7 cells, the transcription factor ZEB1 enhanced the expression of POLDIP2, and silencing of POLDIP2 attenuated the inhibitory effect of oe-ZEB1 on the differentiation of macrophages RAW264.7 to osteoclasts.

ZEB1 promotes osteoblastogenesis and represses osteoclast differentiation, ultimately reducing the occurrence of postmenopausal OP by elevating the expression of POLDIP2.