Crosstalk between dihydroceramides produced by Porphyromonas gingivalis and host lysosomal cathepsin B in the promotion of osteoclastogenesis.

Emerging studies indicate that intracellular eukaryotic ceramide species directly activate cathepsin B (CatB), a lysosomal-cysteine-protease, in the cytoplasm of osteoclast precursors (OCPs) leading to elevated RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis and inflammatory osteolysis. However, the possible impact of CatB on osteoclastogenesis elevated by non-eukaryotic ceramides is largely unknown. It was reported that a novel class of phosphoglycerol dihydroceramide (PGDHC), produced by the key periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis upregulated RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate a crosstalk between host CatB and non-eukaryotic PGDHC on the promotion of osteoclastogenesis. According to a pulldown assay, high affinity between PGDHC and CatB was observed in RANKL-stimulated RAW264.7 cells in vitro. It was also demonstrated that PGDHC promotes enzymatic activity of recombinant CatB protein ex vivo and in RANKL-stimulated osteoclast precursors in vitro. Furthermore, no or little effect of PGDHC on the RANKL-primed osteoclastogenesis was observed in male and female CatB-knock out mice compared with their wild type counterparts. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that bacterial dihydroceramides produced by P. gingivalis elevate RANKL-primed osteoclastogenesis via direct activation of intracellular CatB in OCPs.