Vol.22 No.2

Review Article

Regulation of osteoclast function

Authors

Ichiro Nakamura1 , Naoyuki Takahashi2 , Eijiro Jimi3 , Nobuyuki Udagawa2 , Tatsuo Suda4

  • Department of Rheumatology, Yugawara Kosei-Nenkin Hospital, 438 Miyakami, Yugawara, Ashigara-shimo, Kanagawa, 259-0396, Japan
  • Molecular and Cell Biology, Department of Hard Tissue Research, Graduate School of Oral Medicine, Matsumoto Dental University, 1780 Gobara, Hiro-oka, Shiojiri, Nagano, 399-0781, Japan
  • Division of Molecular Biochemistry, Department of Bioscience, Kyushu Dental College, 2-6-1 Manazuru, Kokura-kita, Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka, 803-8580, Japan
  • Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka, Saitama, 350-1241, Japan
Received:

4 July 2011

Accepted:

29 August 2011

Published online:

28 September 2011

Full Text

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Abstract

Osteoclasts are terminally differentiated multinucleated cells that are the principal resorptive cells of bone, playing a central role in the formation of the skeleton and regulation of its mass. The molecular events involved in the differentiation and function of osteoclasts had not been clarified for a long time. Over the past two decades, several novel approaches have been developed and adopted to investigate osteoclast biology. In the present review, we would like to update recent progress in the elucidation of the molecular mechanism of osteoclast activation and function.

Key words

Rheumatoid arthritis - Osteoclast - Bone resorption - Integrin