1,721,149 research outputs found
Osteoblast and osteoclast crosstalks: From OAF to Ephrin
No full textThe maintenance of bone homeostasis is tightly controlled, and largely dependent upon cellular communication between osteoclasts and osteoblasts, and the coupling of bone resorption to bone formation. This tight coupling is essential for the correct function and maintenance of the skeletal system, repairing microscopic skeletal damage and replacing aged bone. Cells in osteoclast and osteoblast lineages communicate with each other through diffusible paracrine factors, cell-cell contact, and cell-bone matrix interaction. Osteoclast-osteoblast communication occurs in a basic multicellular unit (BMU) at the initiation, transition and termination phases of bone remodeling. At the initiation phase, hematopoietic precursors are recruited to the BMU. These precursors differentiate into osteoclasts following interactions with osteoblasts, which express and/or secrete ligands as RANK-L and OPG. Subsequently, the transition from bone resorption to formation is mediated by osteoclast-derived 'coupling factors', which direct the differentiation and activation of osteoblasts in resorbed lacunae to refill it with new bone. Signals derived from molecules released from the resorbed bone matrix, as TGF-beta and bidirectional signaling generated by interaction between ephrinB2 on osteoclasts and EphB4 on osteoblast precursors facilitates the transition. At the termination phase, bone remodeling is completed by osteoblastic bone formation and mineralization of bone matrix. The research steps that brought to the present knowledge are summarized in this review. © 2012 Bentham Science Publishers
Do osteocytes contribute to bone mineral homeostasis? Osteocytic osteolysis revisited
No full textOsteocytes are cells buried in the bone matrix. They largely contribute to the regulation of bone remodeling in response to mechanical and microenvironmental changes. Much has been recognized in recent years regarding the role of osteocytes in bone homeostasis. nevertheless their ability to directly contribute to mineral equilibrium has been neglected. In the light of the renewed interest in their biology, we revisited the literature and discuss experimental evidence favoring the hypothesis that osteocytes are able to remove and replace the bone matrix according to the systemic needs of the body. We also reviewed reports against this theory, thus providing current views of what is known so far on the ability of osteocytes to mobilize bone mineral. This re-examination of osteocytic osteolysis might stimulate new interest and open new perspectives in osteocyte biology and in the cellular mechanisms that control bone homeostasis. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Human osteoclasts express oxytocin receptor.
No full textIncreasing evidences demonstrated many new targets for the hypothalamic hormone oxytocin, as the regulation of food balance and in some cases of leptin secretion. Considering that leptin is a potent inhibitor of bone formation and that oxytocin receptors (OTR) were detected in normal human osteoblasts, we investigated if OTR was expressed by human osteoclasts (hOCs) and the effect of the hormone on these cells. Here, we demonstrate by immunofluorescence and by Western blot analysis the expression of OTR by fully differentiated hOCs and by their precursors (pOCs). We also show that the receptor is functional, as OT treatment induces an increase of [Ca(2+)](i), and that the hormone may affect osteoclastogenesis, since it increases the number of pre-osteoclasts
The "love hormone" oxytocin regulates the loss and gain of the fat-bone relationship
No full textThe involvement of oxytocin (OT) in bone metabolism is an interesting area of research that recently achieved remarkable results. Moreover, several lines of evidence have largely demonstrated that OT also participates in the regulation of energy metabolism. Hence, it has recently been determined that the posterior pituitary hormone OT directly regulates bone mass: mice lacking OT or OT receptor display severe osteopenia, caused by impaired bone formation. OT administration normalizes ovariectomy-induced osteopenia, bone marrow adiposity, body weight, and intra-abdominal fat depots in mice. This effect is mediated through inhibition of adipocyte precursor differentiation and reduction of adipocyte size. The exquisite role of OT in regulating the bone-fat connection adds another milestone to the biological evidence supporting the existence of a tight relationship between the adipose tissue and the skeleton
Oxytocin and bone
No full textOne of the most meaningful results recently achieved in bone research has been to reveal that the pituitary hormones have profound effect on bone, so that the pituitary-bone axis has become one of the major topics in skeletal physiology. Here, we discuss the relevant evidence about the posterior pituitary hormone oxytocin (OT), previously thought to exclusively regulate parturition and breastfeeding, which has recently been established to directly regulate bone mass. Both osteoblasts and osteoclasts express OT receptors (OTR), whose stimulation enhances bone mass. Consistent with this, mice deficient in OT or OTR display profoundly impaired bone formation. In contrast, bone resorption remains unaffected in OT deficiency because, even while OT stimulates the genesis of osteoclasts, it inhibits their resorptive function. Furthermore, in addition to its origin from the pituitary, OT is also produced by bone marrow osteoblasts acting as paracrine-autocrine regulator of bone formation modulated by estrogens. In turn, the power of estrogen to increase bone mass is OTR-dependent. Therefore, OTR-/- mice injected with 170β-estradiol do not show any effects on bone formation parameters, while the same treatment increases bone mass in wild-type mice. These findings together provide evidence for an anabolic action of OT in regulating bone mass and suggest that bone marrow OT may enhance the bone-forming action of estrogen through an autocrine circuit. This established new physiological role for OT in the maintenance of skeletal integrity further suggests the potential use of this hormone for the treatment of osteoporosis
Monocytes from circulating blood fuse in vitro with purified osteoclasts in primary culture.
No full text- …
