Osteoclasts are multinuclear giant cells derived from osteoclast/macrophage/dendritic cell common progenitor cells. The most characteristic feature of osteoclasts is multinucleation resulting from cell-cell fusion of mononuclear osteoclasts. Osteoclast cell-cell fusion is considered essential for re-organization of the cytoskeleton, such as the actin-ring and ruffled boa...

To design novel therapeutics against bone loss, understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating osteoclastogenesis is critical. Osteoclast formation and function are tightly regulated by transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms. This stringent regulation is crucial to prevent excessive or insufficient bone resorption and to maintain bone homeostasis. microRNAs (...

Osteoclasts differentiate from the hemopoietic monocyte/macrophage cell lineage in bone marrow through cell-cell interactions between osteoclast progenitors and stromal/osteoblastic cells. Here we show another osteoclast differentiation pathway closely connected with B lymphocyte differentiation. Recently the TNF family molecule osteoclast differentiation factor/receptor activator of NF-kappaB ...

Bone remodeling is an important factor in orthodontic tooth movement. During orthodontic treatment, osteoclasts are subjected to various mechanical stimuli, and this promotes or inhibits osteoclast differentiation and fusion. It has been previously reported that the release from tensile force induces osteoclast differentiation. However, little is known about how release from compressive force a...

Inhibiting osteoclasts and osteoclast precursors to reduce bone resorption is an important strategy to treat osteoclast-related diseases, such as osteoporosis, inflammatory bone loss, and malignant bone metastasis. However, the mechanism by which apoptosis is induced in the osteoclasts and their precursors are not completely understood. Here, we used nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate zoledroni...

The rhizome of Dryopteris crassirhizoma has been used as a traditional herbal medicine for treating various inflammatory and infectious diseases such as tapeworm infestation and mumps. In the present study, we investigated the bone protective effect of water extract of the rhizome of Dryopteris crassirhizoma (WEDC). We found that WEDC inhibits osteoclast differentiation via directly acting on o...

Osteoclasts are multinucleated bone degrading cells. Phosphate is an important constituent of mineralized bone and released in significant quantities during bone resorption. Molecular contributors to phosphate transport during the resorptive activity of osteoclasts have been controversially discussed. This study aimed at deciphering the role of sodium-dependent phosphate transporters during ost...

The differentiation deficiencies of osteoclast precursors (pre-OCs) may contribute to osteoporosis. Research on osteoporosis has recently focused on microRNAs (miRNAs) that play crucial roles in pre-OC differentiation. In the current study, we aimed to analyze the expression and function of the glucocorticoid (GC)-associated miRNA-338-3p (miR-338-3p) in osteoclast formation. We found that dexam...

Osteoclasts, the principal cells mediating bone resorption, are believed to increase their size, number, and resorbing activity in response to parathyroid hormone (PTH) through mechanisms dependent upon the fusion of specific mononuclear precursor cells into either new or existing multinucleated osteoclasts. To address the question of whether these actions of PTH are dependent on the replicatio...

Osteoclast differentiation is a complex and finely regulated physiological process that involves a variety of signaling pathways and factors. Recent studies suggested that the Ser9 phosphorylation of Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) is required for the osteoclast differentiation. However, the precise underlying mechanism remains unclear. We have previously identified the heterogeneous nuclea...