Premium
New Roles for Osteoclasts in Bone
Author(s) -
BOYCE BRENDAN F.,
YAO ZHENQIANG,
ZHANG QIAN,
GUO ROULIN,
LU YAN,
SCHWARZ EDWARD M.,
XING LIANPING
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1402.084
Subject(s) - osteoimmunology , osteoclast , bone resorption , bone remodeling period , bone marrow , bone cell , bone remodeling , multinucleate , microbiology and biotechnology , haematopoiesis , osteoblast , stem cell , pathology , chemistry , immunology , biology , medicine , endocrinology , rankl , biochemistry , receptor , activator (genetics) , in vitro
: Osteoclasts have long been recognized as the cells that resorb bone in normal bone remodeling and in pathologic conditions in which bone resorption is increased. They are derived from precursors in the mononuclear phagocyte lineage, which arise in the bone marrow and fuse with one another to form the multinucleated cells that resorb calcified matrixes under the influence of osteoblastic cells in bone marrow. There is growing evidence that osteoclast precursors (OCPs) and osteoclasts have functions in and around bone other than bone resorption. For example, they modulate the differentiation of other cells, including osteoblastic cells; they regulate hematopoietic stem cell movement from the bone marrow to the bloodstream; and they are secretory cells that participate in immune responses. In this article, we review these findings, which support new roles for osteoclasts and OCPs in the growing field of osteoimmunology and in common pathologic conditions affecting bones and joints.