Bone Abstracts

Bisphosphonates (BPs) such as zoledronic acid (ZA) are widely used to treat bone diseases. The use of BPs can lead to osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), but it is not clear why in particular the jaw bone is affected. Previously, it was shown that osteoclasts derived from different bone sites have different properties. We hypothesize that BPs have distinct effects on bone-site specific osteoclasts or precursors. To investigate this, female C57BL/6J mice were injected intraperitone...

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are used to treat bone diseases characterized by excessive bone resorption. However, BPs can negatively affect the jaw bone by causing osteonecrosis of the jaw. Previously, we showed that BPs differently affect long-bone and jaw osteoclast precursors. Administration of BPs in vivo reduced the number of jaw bone marrow cells, without affecting long-bone marrow cells. Yet, BPs increased bone volume and mineral density of both long bone and jaw. Her...

Vitamin K is a group name for a number of closely related compounds. Relevant structures for this presentation are phylloquinone (vitamin K1), menaquinone-4 (MK-4) and MK-7. The latter two are members of the vitamin K2 family. The function of all forms of vitamin K is to catalyze the formation of Gla-residues, which are strong calcium-binding groups and essential for the activity of the proteins in which they occur. For calcium metabolism three Gla-proteins are of particular i...

Bone remodeling is a crucial process to maintain a healthy bone structure in order to avoid diseases like osteoporosis or osteopetrosis. Osteoclasts contribute to this process by resorbing old and brittle bone allowing osteoblasts to renew the bone substance. During resorption osteoclasts rearrange their actin cytoskeleton by forming an F-actin ring generating a resorptive cavity on the bone surface. Recently, we reported that the F-actin binding protein SWAP-70 regulates oste...

Poor vitamin K intake is associated with markedly increased cardiovascular risk and mortality. The molecular mechanism underlying this association is suggested to be the vitamin K-dependent carboxylation of vascular matrix Gla-protein (MGP), a potent calcification inhibitor. The carboxylation step is essential for its activation, and uncarboxylated MGP, produced during poor vitamin K status, is inactive.The IDS-iSYS inaKtiv MGP assay is the auto...

We have shown previously that TSG–6 acts as an autocrine regulator of osteoclast activity in vitro, capable of inhibiting RANKL-mediated osteoclastic bone resorption with a similar potency to OPG1,2. Thus, the TSG–6 protein has the potential to be developed as a novel treatment for osteoporosis, which is associated with excessive bone loss3.The aim of this study was to determine the therapeutic potential of the is...

Biographical DetailsDr Lynda F Bonewald is a University of Missouri, Kansas City (UMKC) Curators Professor, the Lefkowitz Professor of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, and Director of the Mineralized Tissue/Bone Biology Research Program at the UMKC School of Dentistry, Director of the UMKC Center of Excellence in the Study of Dental and Musculoskeletal Tissues and UMKC Vice Chancellor for ...

Diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system are a major cost burden to society. Articular cartilage loss or damage in these diseases is detected by radiography and measuring decreases in joint space width (JSW). The early stages of the disease may remain latent and asymptomatic for many years. This forms the rationale for applying molecular marker technology (biomarkers) to identify patients prone to joint diseases. One such biomarker is cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (...

Gla-rich protein (GRP) is a vitamin K-dependent protein, characterized by a high density of γ-carboxylated Glu residues and high calcium binding affinity. It was shown to accumulate in mouse and sturgeon cartilage and in sites of skin and vascular calcification in humans. Four alternatively spliced transcripts of the GRP gene (GRP–F1, F2, F3 and F4) were described in mouse chondrocytes and zebrafish. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease...

The close relationship between muscle and bone has long been recognized especially during development where one tissue does not develop in the absence of the other. The mechanical interactions between the two tissues have dominated research under the assumption that the major interaction between the two tissues was the loading/unloading of bone by muscle. Though clear that loading of bone by muscle is necessary to maintain healthy bone, the concept that bone could have positiv...