Osteocalcin is the most abundant non-collagenous protein produced in bone. It has traditionally been regarded as a marker of bone turnover and is thought to act in the bone matrix to regulate mineralization. However, emerging knowledge regarding osteocalcin has expanded to include functions in energy metabolism, fertilization, and regulation of cognition. Fully carboxylated osteocalcin binds to hydroxyapatite, thereby modulating bone turnover, whereas undercarboxylated osteocalcin in the circulation binds to osteocalcin-sensing receptors and acts as a hormone that affects multiple physiological aspects. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the hormonal actions of osteocalcin in various organs and potential cellular downstream signaling pathway that may be involved.

Osteocalcin (OC) is the most abundant noncollagenous protein of extracellular matrix in the bone. In an OC deficient mouse, bone formation rates are increased in cancellous and cortical bones. OC is known as a negative regulator of mineral apposition. OC is also expressed in the tooth of the rat, bovine, and human. However, little is known about OC during tooth development in Xenopus. The purpose of this study is to compare the expression of OC with mineralization in the developing tooth of Xenopus, by using von Kossa staining and in situ hybridization. At stage 56, the developmental stage of tooth germ corresponds to the cap stage, and an acellular zone was apparent between the dental papilla and the enamel organ. From stage 57, calcium deposition was revealed by von Kossa staining prior to OC expression, and the differentiated odontoblasts forming predentin were located at adjoining predentin. At stage 58, OC transcripts were detected in the differentiated odontoblasts. At stage 66, OC mRNA was expressed in the odontoblasts, which was aligned in a single layer at the periphery of the pulp. These findings suggest that OC may play a role in mineralization and odontogenesis of tooth development in Xenopus.

This research was designed to investigate changes of growth factors and bone matrix proteins during the bone healing processes using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Especially this study was focused on the changes of bone matrix and growth factors around the titanium implant. Threaded implants were introduced into the long bone of tibia. Time dependent changes of several bone associated protein and and its mRNAs were observed. Proteins investigated in this study are collagen, osteonectin(ON), osteopontin(OPN), osteocalcin(OC). Expression of the proteins were measured using immunohistochemistry. VEGF and ON were measured using in situ hybridization, and northen blot technique. Bone regeneration were observed as early as the third day of experiment. Matrix proteins and growth factors observed around implant were identical to the proteins observed in the control group. The expression of the ON, OC and VEGF were observed mainly in the osteoblast-like cell on the surface of new bone around the implant and the cells lining the margin of bone defect apart from the implant. The observation may not result from direct osteoconducting activities of titanium but by passive adsorption of extracellular factors which has bone inducing capacities. These passive adsorption results in the immobilization of the growth factors and consequent prolongation of the activities.