LincRNA-EPS alleviates osteoclastogenesis under inflammatory microenvironment through preventing excessive iron metabolism

The precise regulation of bone homeostasis and the balance between bone resorption and formation in periodontitis remain unclear. This study explores the role of long intergenic noncoding RNA-erythroid prosurvival (lincRNA-EPS) in inflammatory osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. LincRNA-EPS knockout (KO) worsened LPS-induced alveolar bone resorption in vivo and osteoclast differentiation in vitro. Transcriptomics and protein sequencing showed dysregulated osteoclastogenesis and iron homeostasis without lincRNA-EPS, marked by increased expression of Lcn2. Knockdown of Lcn2 in osteoclast precursors (OCPs) resulted in a reduction in the level of iron metabolism and osteoclastogenesis; however, the regulatory response was delayed in KO cells. Correspondingly, overexpression of lincRNA-EPS accelerated the regulation of iron metabolism. Further, reducing Lcn2 levels in wildtype mice alleviated periodontitis-related bone loss, but not in KO mice. Taken together, we identified the critical role of lincRNA-EPS in regulating osteoclastogenesis under inflammatory environment, by preventing excessive iron metabolism caused by Lcn2.