Summary

Maintenance of healthy bone quality and quantity requires a well-coordinated balance between bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts. Chemerin is a novel adipokine with known functions such as regulating immunity and energy homeostasis through activation of chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1). G protein-coupled receptor 1 (GPR1) is the second mammalian chemerin receptor with similar binding affinity as CMKLR1. In male GPR1^–/– mice, a phenotype with significantly low bone mineral density was observed. We hypothesise that GPR1 might participate the process of bone remodelling. In this study, we investigated the role of GPR1 in regulating bone mass maintenance in male mice, and for the first time, revealed that GPR1^–/– male mice manifested seriously trabecular bone loss and lower serum testosterone levels compared to the wild type animals. Accordingly, the mRNA expression of biomarkers related to both osteoblast [collagen type I alpha 2 ( Col1A2 ), osteocalcin ( OCN )] and osteoclast [tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase ( TRAP ), Cathepsin K , NFATc1 ] were significantly decreased or increased in GPR1^–/– mice relative to the wild type, respectively. However, other osteogenic markers, Osterix and ALP levels, were increased. Microcomputed tomography scanning and histological analyses proved that there was a myriad of trabecular bone loss in GPR1^–/– mice. In the meantime, GPR1^–/– mice presented a significant decrease in serum testosterone level. Taken together, these findings suggested that chemerin–GPR1 signalling might be directly or indirectly communicated with testosterone synthesis on bone turnover regulation. Further detailed studies are required to unveil how chemerin–GPR1 participates in bone metabolism.

The translational potential of this article: More studies and knowledge about GPR1 regulating function in bone turnover might supply a novel therapeutic target for osteoporosis in the future.