Inheritance of Bone Geometry in Inbred Mice: Consideration of an Important Reciprocal Relationship Between Bone Mass and Bone Quality

Introduction Reducing fracture risk is an important clinical objective given the mortality, disability, and cost associated with fragility fractures. Identifying the factors that define bone mass and bone quality is fundamental to understanding bone fragility. Although peak bone mass is largely genetically determined (Smith et al., 1973), the manner by which biomechanically-relevant geometric parameters are inherited is not well understood. Further, the influence of genetic background on the relationship between bone geometry and bone quality is not understood. The objectives of the current study were to assess the relationship between genetic background, bone geometry, and bone mechanical properties in A/J and C57BL/6J inbred mice and to determine how these properties were inherited in F1 offspring.