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Critical Reviews™ in Eukaryotic Gene Expression

ISSN for PRINT: 1045-4403

Institutional price:	$708.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2006, Volume16

90 pages

Issue price - $169.00

Genetics and Genomics of Osteoclast Differentiation: Integrating Cell Signaling Pathways and Gene Networks

Sudarshana M. Sharma
Human Cancer Genetics Program, Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, and the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Rong Hu
Human Cancer Genetics Program, Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, and the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Agnieszka Bronisz
Human Cancer Genetics Program, Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, and the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Nicolas Meadows
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

Tricia Lusby
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

Barbara Fletcher
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

David A. Hume
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

A. Ian Cassady
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

Michael C. Ostrowski
Human Cancer Genetics Program, Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, and the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

ABSTRACT

The regulation of osteoclast differentiation in the bone microenvironment is critical for normal bone remodeling, as well as for various human bone diseases. Over the last decade, our knowledge of how osteoclast differentiation occurs has progressed rapidly. We highlight some of the major advances in understanding how cell signaling and transcription are integrated to direct the differentiation of this cell type. These studies used genetic, molecular, and biochemical approaches. Additionally, we summarize data obtained from studies of osteoclast differentiation that used the functional genomic approach of global gene profiling applied to osteoclast differentiation. This genomic data confirms results from studies using the classical experimental approaches and also may suggest new modes by which osteoclast differentiation and function can be modulated. Two conclusions that emerge are that osteoclast differentiation depends on a combination of fairly ubiquitously expressed transcription factors rather than unique osteoclast factors, and that the overlay of cell signaling pathways on this set of transcription factors provides a powerful mechanism to fine tune the differentiation program in response to the local bone microenvironment.