Bone Abstracts

Osteoclasts are multinucleated giant cells derived from the monocyte/macrophage lineage in the presence of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1). The bone remodeling process in zebrafish is incompletely understood. Here we describe several methods to quantify bone formation and resorption using a zebrafish mutant that lacks functional colony stimulating factor 1a receptor (csf1ramh5/mh5). Mice deficient in...

Osteoclasts are myeloid-derived cells that degrade bone through the localized production of acid and proteases. The catabolic action of osteoclasts is counterbalanced by formation of new matrix by osteoblasts. In mammals, bone resorption and formation are coupled through crosstalk between osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Zebrafish are emerging as a valuable model to study bone biology, but how closely zebrafish osteoclast function parallels that of higher vertebrates is unknown. T...

Analysis of genome wide data such as transcriptomics can identify genes of potential interest to bone biology. These techniques are primarily hypothesis-generating. Determining the role of candidate factors in bone ultimately requires in vivo experiments. Gene expression analysis of mouse osteoclast differentiation identified G protein-coupled receptor 137B (GPR137b) as highly upregulated. GPR137b is an orphan seven-pass transmembrane receptor of unknown func...