Soy protein isolate down-regulates caveolin-1 expression to suppress osteoblastic cell senescence pathways

It has been suggested that the beneficial effects of soy protein isolate (SPI) on bone quality are due to either stimulation of estrogenic signaling via isoflavones or through a novel and as yet uncharacterized nonestrogenic pathway. In our study, SPI-fed rat serum inhibited the osteoblastic cell senescence pathway. This effect was accompanied by stimulation of cell differentiation, proliferation, and significant restoration of replicative senescent bone marrow mesenchymal ST2 cells (passaged 30 times). These effects were reproduced in bone from 5-wk-old intact and 10-wk-old ovariectomized female rats fed SPI diets. Caveolin-1 and p53 expression was decreased in bone in SPI-fed, but not in 17 beta-estradiol (E2)-treated rats. In cell culture studies, membranous caveolin-1 and nuclear p53 expression was greater in replicative senescent ST2 cell cultures than in earlier passaged cells. SPI-fed rat serum significantly down-regulated both caveolin-1 and p53 in senescent and nonsenescent cells. Replicative senescent ST2 cells exhibited a strong association among caveolin-1, p53, and mouse double minute 2 homologue (mdm2), which was inhibited by SPI-fed rat serum. Overexpression of caveolin-1 in ST2 cells resulted in increased expression of p53 and p21, whereas, knockdown of caveolin-1 using shRNA led to increases in mdm2 and eliminated SPI-fed rat serum's effects on p53 and p21 expression. In contrast, manipulation of caveolin-1 expression did not affect the actions of E2 or isoflavones on p53 expression in either ST2 or OB6 cells. These results suggest that caveolin-1 is a mediator of nonestrogenic SPI effects on bone cells.