Description
The anaphylatoxin C5a is a potent mediator of innate immunity and promotes inflammation via its receptor C5aR1 upon complement system activation danger-associated molecular patterns. Both C5a and C5aR1 are thought to be contributing factors in inflammatory and infectious conditions of the bone. Bone fracture healing, for example, was significantly improved when applying a C5aR1-antagonist in a rodent model of severe systemic inflammation and osteoblasts were found to be target cells for C5a in this setting. Interestingly, osteoblasts up-regulate C5aR1 during osteogenic differentiation and after bone injury. Further, C5a induces inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, and the osteoclastogenic mediator RANKL in osteoblasts. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying C5a-C5aR1 signaling axis in osteoblasts remain unclear, and further targets of C5a are still elusive. Using microarray analysis, we analyzed intracellular events following C5aR1 activation in osteoblasts and defined up- or down-regulated genes and their belonging biological pathways.