Regulation of new osteoclast formation by a bone cell-derived macromolecular factor.

Medium conditioned by incubation with embryonic chick calvarial bones, which contain osteoblasts but not osteoclasts, stimulated new osteoclast formation in foetal long bone cultures and in adult bone marrow cultures formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) positive cells was greatly stimulated. We have termed the factor responsible for this activity osteoclast growth/inducing factor (OGF). OGF was soluble, heat-stable and of size greater than 10kda. OGF activity was present also in mouse bone conditioned medium and in extracts of demineralized cortical diaphyseal bone of five-week-old chickens. OGF appeared to differ from the osteoblast-derived bone-resorbing factors previously observed as well as from macrophage colony stimulating factor (CSF-1). It is therefore probable that different locally secreted factors independently regulate the formation of osteoclasts and their activity.