Specific targeting of PKCδ suppresses osteoclast differentiation by accelerating proteolysis of membrane-bound macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor.

c-Fms is the macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) receptor, and intracellular signalling via the M-CSF/c-Fms axis mediates both innate immunity and bone remodelling. M-CSF-induced transient proteolytic degradation of c-Fms modulates various biological functions, and protein kinase C (PKC) signalling is activated during this proteolytic process via an unknown mechanism. Notably, the role of specific PKC isoforms involved in c-Fms degradation during osteoclast differentiation is not known. Here, we observed that inactivation of PKCδ by the biochemical inhibitor rottlerin, a cell permeable peptide inhibitor, and short hairpin (sh) RNA suppresses osteoclast differentiation triggered by treatment with M-CSF and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand. Interestingly, inhibition of PKCδ by either inhibitor or gene silencing of PKCδ accelerated M-CSF-induced proteolytic degradation of membrane-bound c-Fms via both the lysosomal pathway and regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIPping), but did not affect c-fms expression at the mRNA level. Degradation of c-Fms induced by PKCδ inactivation subsequently inhibited M-CSF-induced osteoclastogenic signals, such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-JUN N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, and Akt. Furthermore, mice administered PKCδ inhibitors into the calvaria periosteum exhibited a decrease in both osteoclast formation on the calvarial bone surface and the calvarial bone marrow cavity, which reflects osteoclastic bone resorption activity. These data suggest that M-CSF-induced PKCδ activation maintains membrane-anchored c-Fms and allows the sequential cellular events of osteoclastogenic signalling, osteoclast formation, and osteoclastic bone resorption.