Mycobacterium tuberculosis chaperonin 10 stimulates bone resorption: A potential contributory factor in Pott's disease

Poet's disease (spinal tuberculosis), a condition characterized by massive resorption of the spinal vertebrae, is one of the most striking pathologies resulting from local infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt; Boachie-Adjei, O., and R.G. Squillante. 1996. Orthop. Clin. North Am. 27:95-103). The pathogenesis of Pott's disease is not established. Here we report for the first time that a protein, identified by a monoclonal antibody to be the Mt heat shock protein (Baird, P.N., L.M. Hall, and A.R.M. Coates. 1989. J. Gen. Microbiol. 135:931-939) chaperonin (cpn) 10, is responsible for the osteolytic activity of this bacterium. Recombinant Mt cpn10 is a potent stimulator of bone resorption in bone explant cultures and induces osteoclast recruitment, while inhibiting the proliferation of an osteoblast bone-forming cell line. Furthermore, we have found that synthetic peptides corresponding to sequences within the flexible loop and sequence 65-70 of Mt cpn10 may comprise a single conformational unit which encompasses its potent bone-resorbing activity. Our findings suggest that Mt cpn10 may be a valuable pharmacological target for the clinical therapy of vertebral tuberculosis and possibly other bone diseases.