Seung Hyun Han

Bone resorption can be caused by excessive differentiation and/or activation of bone‐resorbing osteoclasts. While microbe‐associated molecular patterns can influence the differentiation and activation of bone cells, little is known about the role of lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a major cell wall component of Gram‐positive bacteria, in the regulation of bone metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effect of LTA on bone metabolism using wild‐type Staphylococcus aureus and the LTA‐deficient mutant strain. LTA‐deficient S. aureus induced higher bone loss and osteoclast differentiation than wild‐type S. aureus . LTA isolated from S. aureus (SaLTA) inhibited osteoclast differentiation from committed osteoclast precursors in the presence of various osteoclastogenic factors by downregulating the expression of NFATc1. Remarkably, SaLTA attenuated the osteoclast differentiation from committed osteoclast precursors of TLR2 −/− or MyD88 −/− mice and from the committed osteoclast precursors transfected with paired immunoglobulin‐like receptor B‐targeting siRNA. SaLTA directly interacted with gelsolin, interrupting the gelsolin‐actin dissociation which is a critical process for osteoclastogenesis. Moreover, SaLTA suppressed the mRNA expression of dendritic cell‐specific transmembrane protein, ATPase H + transporting V0 subunit D2, and Integrin , which encode proteins involved in cell‐cell fusion of osteoclasts. Notably, LTAs purified from probiotics, including Bacillus subtilis , Enterococcus faecalis , and Lactobacillus species, also suppressed Pam2CSK4‐ or RANKL‐induced osteoclast differentiation. Taken together, these results suggest that LTAs have anti‐resorptive activity through the inhibition of osteoclastogenesis by interfering with the gelsolin‐actin dissociation and may be used as effective therapeutic agents for the prevention or treatment of inflammatory bone diseases.