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Characterization of Bone Tissue and Bone Morphology in Taurine Transporter Knockout Mice

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Taurine 12

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1370))

Abstract

Taurine, a sulfur-containing amino acid, has been shown to protect against tissue damage. It is highly accumulated in bone cells, including osteoblasts, where it enhances bone tissue formation. The quality of bone is defined by its microarchitecture, accumulated microscopic damage, collagen quality, mineral crystal size, and turnover rate. In this study, the effects of taurine depletion on bone metabolism and bone quality were investigated in taurine transporter knockout (TauT−/−) mice. The bone volume and trabecular number of 20-month-old male TauT−/− and TauT+/+ mice were measured by micro-computed tomography, and bone tissues were observed using hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical staining methods. In the TauT−/− mice, the bone area of the proximal region of the femur was significantly smaller than that in the TauT+/+ mice, and the bone volume and trabecular number of the femur neck were significantly lower. Although the bone mineral densities in the mid-diaphysis and proximal regions were lower in the TauT−/− mice, the difference was significant for the proximal region only. Moreover, taurine depletion decreased the mineral density and strength parameters in the cancellous bone. The results of this study suggest that taurine plays an important role in maintaining bone quality.

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Abbreviations

ALP:

Alkaline phosphatase

BMD:

Bone mineral density

BS:

Bone surface

BV:

Bone volume

DEXA:

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

TauT:

Taurine transporter

Tb.N:

Trabecular number

Tb.Sp:

Trabecular separation

Tb.Th:

Trabecular thickness

TV:

Total volume

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP20K08120).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation, Suzuka Kaisei Hospital, Suzuka, Mie, Japan

    Toshihiro Kato

  2. Department of Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Edobashi, Tsu, Mie, Japan

    Toshihiro Kato, Akinobu Nishimura & Akihiro Sudo

  3. Division of Health Science, Graduate School of Health Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka, Mie, Japan

    Ning Ma & Takenori Yamashita

  4. Faculty of Biotechnology, Fukui Prefectural University, Fukui, Japan

    Takashi Ito

  5. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Edobashi, Tsu, Mie, Japan

    Akihiro Sudo

Authors
  1. Toshihiro Kato
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  2. Ning Ma
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  3. Takashi Ito
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  4. Akinobu Nishimura
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  5. Akihiro Sudo
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  6. Takenori Yamashita
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Takenori Yamashita .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile, AL, USA

    Stephen W. Schaffer

  2. Department of Biology, College of Staten Island, New York, NY, USA

    Abdeslem El Idrissi

  3. Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Fukui Prefectural University, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, Japan

    Shigeru Murakami

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Kato, T., Ma, N., Ito, T., Nishimura, A., Sudo, A., Yamashita, T. (2022). Characterization of Bone Tissue and Bone Morphology in Taurine Transporter Knockout Mice. In: Schaffer, S.W., El Idrissi, A., Murakami, S. (eds) Taurine 12. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1370. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93337-1_20

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