Recent Advances in the Formation and Activation of Osteoclasts

Abstract: Osteoclasts are giant multinucleated cells formed from myeloid lineage cells activated by receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and macrophage cology stimulating factor (M-CSF). It is well known that osteoclasts play pivotal role in bone metabolic balance. The “formation” and “activation” of osteoclasts are two important physiological aspects of the osteoclasts and this review outlines the latest advances of these two aspects. On the one hand， many molecules are involved in the regulation of osteoclast formation， including transcription factors， cytokines， acidosis， protein kinases and lymphocytes. On the other hand， the activation of osteoclast is modulated by diverse factors such as integrins， lysosome， Src protein， osteoclast-related genes， osteoprotegerin， Ephrin/Eph and Semaphorin signaling pathways. Moreover， the recent advances in osteoclast are also reviewed. In addition， we disscuss the influence of mechanical stimulation in osteoclast formation and activation. Furthermore， this article also provides potential clues for the potential drug targets against osteoclast.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2014.02.0017