Abstract
Background: A large number of phospholipase C (PLC) enzymes, both mRNA transcripts and proteins, have been detected in osteoblasts,
corroborating the importance of calcium regulation in bone tissue. MG-63 and SaOS-2 human osteosarcoma cell lines are
actually considered osteoblast-like cells, and are therefore widely used as experimental models for osteoblasts.
Objectives: Our aim was to verify whether MG-63 or SaOS-2 cells might also represent appropriate experimental osteoblast models
for signal transduction studies, with special regard to the phosphoinositide (PI) pathway. We analyzed the expression and the
subcellular distribution of enzymes related to calcium signal transduction (the PI-specific PLC family), which are known to possess
high cell/tissue specificity.
Materials and Methods: The expression of PLC genes was analyzed by performing RT-PCR experiments. The presence of PLC enzymes
and their subcellular distribution within the cells was analyzed with immunofluorescence experiments.
Results: Osteoblasts, MG-63 cells, and SaOS-2 cells have expression panels similar to those of PLC enzymes. However, slight differences
were found in the expression of enzymes belonging to the PLC subfamily.
Conclusions: MG-63 and SaOS-2 osteosarcoma cell lines might not represent appropriate experimental models for studies that aim
to analyze signal transduction in osteoblasts.