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The nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV) gene, also called CCN3, regulates differentiation of skeletal mesenchymal cells. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play important roles in osteoblast differentiation and bone formation, but the effects of CCN3 on BMP expression and bone formation in cultured osteoblasts are largely unknown. Here we found that CCN3 increased BMP-4 expression and bone nodule formation in cultured osteoblast. Monoclonal antibodies for α5β1 and αvβ5 integrins, and inhibitors of integrin-linked kinase (ILK), p38, and JNK, all inhibited CCN3-induced bone nodule formation and BMP-4 up-regulation of osteoblasts. CCN3 stimulation increased the kinase activity of ILK and phosphorylation of p38 and JNK. Inhibitors of activator protein-1 (AP-1) also suppressed bone nodule formation and BMP-4 expression enhanced by CCN3. Moreover, CCN3-induced c-Jun translocation into the nucleus, and the binding of c-Jun to the AP-1 element on the BMP-4 promoter were both inhibited by specific inhibitors of the ILK, p38, and JNK cascades. Taken together, our results provide evidence that CCN3 enhances BMP-4 expression and bone nodule formation in osteoblasts, and that the integrin receptor, ILK, p38, JNK, and AP-1 signaling pathways may be involved.

Various structures of CrAPO-5 clusters are studied via density functional B3LYP exchange-correlation method. The optimized structures are compared with data from X-ray absorption. Their total energies and atomic net charges are also analyzed. Results indicate that the substitution of the aluminum site of an AFI framework by chromium is in general not feasible. The chromium ion is more likely docked in between two neighboring 12-membered rings of the framework of AFI. To further verify our claim, the excitation energies of the representative chromium structures of CrAPO-5 clusters are calculated via the TDDFT method. The results for excitation energies further support that Cr 3+ is not incorporated into the framework.