Expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor and its role in regulating osteoblast differentiation

Objective To investigate the changes in the expression of fibroblast growth factor receptors 1-3 (FGFR1-3) at different stages of osteogenic differentiation and clarify the role of FGFR signaling in osteogenic differentiation. Methods Mouse osteoblasts in primary culture and osteoblast cell line MC3T3-E1 were induced for osteogenic differentiation, and the cell differentiation was identified by morphological observation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and alizarin red staining. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of FGFR1-3 and the genes involved in osteogenic differentiation, and the effect of blocking FGFR signaling on osteoblast differentiation was observed. Results The primary mouse osteoblasts were positive to ALP staining and alizarin red staining. The expression of COL 1α, RUNX2 and OPN was increased during osteogenic differentiation in both mouse osteoblasts and MC3T3-E1 cells. The expression of FGFR1, FGFR2 and FGFR3 was also increased in the cells during osteogenic differentiation, and blocking FGFR signaling significantly inhibited osteogenic differentiation of the cells, suggesting the regulatory role of FGFR signaling in osteoblast differentiation. Conclusion FGFR signaling promotes osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts