IL-17A deficiency inhibits lung cancer-induced osteoclastogenesis by promoting apoptosis of osteoclast precursor cells

by Hongkai Wang, Hao Tang, Shujie Yuan, Chuntao Liang, Yuanxin Li, Shida Zhu, Kai Chen

Osteoclasts are crucial in the events leading to bone metastasis of lung cancer. Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) affects osteogenesis by regulating the survival of osteoclast precursors (OCPs) and is enriched in lung cancer cells. However, how factors derived from tumor cells that metastasize to bone affect osteoclastogenesis remains poorly understood. We examined whether IL-17A derived from lung cancer cells affects osteoclast differentiation by regulating OCP apoptosis. IL-17A expression was inhibited in A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells using RNA interference. Compared with conditioned medium (CM) from A549 cells (A549-CM), CM from IL-17A-deficient A549 cells (A549-si-CM) suppressed osteoclastogenesis. The mRNA expression of osteoclast-specific genes was downregulated following A549-si-CM treatment. Furthermore, A549-si-CM promoted osteoclast precursor apoptosis at an early stage of osteoclastogenesis, which was related to the promotion of caspase-3 expression by A549-si-CM during osteoclast differentiation. In vivo experiments also showed that inhibition of IL-17A expression in A549 cells reduced osteoclast activation and bone tissue destruction. Collectively, our results indicate that IL-17A deficiency inhibits lung cancer-induced osteoclast differentiation by promoting apoptosis of osteoclast precursors in the early stage of osteoclast formation and that IL-17A is a potential therapeutic target for cancer-associated bone resorption in patients with lung cancer.