Nuclear matrix protein (NMP) composition of osteoblasts shows distinct two-dimensional gel electrophoretic profiles of labeled proteins as a function of stages of cellular differentiation. Because NMPs are involved in the control of gene expression, we examined modifications in the representation of NMPs induced by TGF-beta1 treatment of osteoblasts to gain insight into the effects of TGF-beta on development of the osteoblast phenotype. Exposure of proliferating fetal rat calvarial derived primary cells in culture to TGF-beta1 for 48 h (day 4-6) modifies osteoblast cell morphology and proliferation and blocks subsequent formation of mineralized nodules. Nuclear matrix protein profiles were very similar between control and TGF-beta-treated cultures until day 14, but subsequently differences in nuclear matrix proteins were apparent in TGF-beta-treated cultures. These findings support the concept that TGF-beta1 modifies the final stage of osteoblast mineralization and alters the composition of the osteoblast nuclear matrix as reflected by selective and TGF-beta-dependent modifications in the levels of specific nuclear matrix proteins. The specific changes induced by TGF-beta in nuclear matrix associated proteins may reflect specialized mechanisms by which TGF-beta signalling mediates the alterations in cell organization and nodule formation and/or the consequential block in extracellular mineralization.

Association of transcription factors with the nuclear matrix represents a mechanism by which nuclear architecture may influence transcriptional control of gene expression. This investigation examines nuclear matrix associated proteins (NMP's) isolated from ocular lens epithelial cells by monitoring DNA binding activities using consensus oligonucleotides recognized by the transcription factors YY1, AML-1, AP-1, SP-1 and ATF. The nuclear matrix fractions tested included an immortilized human lens epithelial cell line containing the SV40 large T-antigen, and two mouse lens epithelial cell lines derived from either a normal mouse or a cataract mouse. A rabbit epidermal epithelial cell line and HeLa cells were also included in this study for comparison. The data from these experiments reveal that ubiquitously represented and tissue restricted regulatory proteins are associated with nuclear matrix of lens epithelial cells. The functional significance of the nuclear matrix association of these transcription factors remains to be determined. However, our findings raise the possibility that the transcription factors associated with the nuclear matrix could have specific roles in gene regulation and eye tissue development.

The subnuclear location of transcription factors may functionally contribute to the regulation of gene expression. Several classes of gene regulators associate with the nuclear matrix in a cell type, cell growth, or cell cycle related-manner. To understand control of nuclear matrix-transcription factor interactions during tissue development, we systematically analyzed the subnuclear partitioning of a panel of transcription factors (including NMP-1/YY-1, NMP-2/AML, AP-1, and SP-1) during osteoblast differentiation using biochemical fractionation and gel shift analyses. We show that nuclear matrix association of the tissue-specific AML transcription factor NMP-2, but not the ubiquitous transcription factor YY1, is developmentally upregulated during osteoblast differentiation. Moreover, we show that there are multiple AML isoforms in mature osteoblasts, consistent with the multiplicity of AML factors that are derived from different genes and alternatively spliced cDNAs. These AML isoforms include proteins derived from the AML-3 gene and partition between distinct subcellular compartments. We conclude that the selective partitioning of the YY1 and AML transcription factors with the nuclear matrix involves a discriminatory mechanism that targets different classes and specific isoforms of gene regulatory factors to the nuclear matrix at distinct developmental stages. Our results are consistent with a role for the nuclear matrix in regulating the expression of bone-tissue specific genes during development of the mature osteocytic phenotype.