Tanaka Sakae
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Am J Nephrol. 2007;27(5):466-78. doi: 10.1159/000106484. Epub 2007 Jul 25.
Bone integrity is maintained through a balance between bone formation and bone resorption, and osteoclasts are primary cells involved in bone resorption. Recent studies have revealed an essential role of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) in the development of osteoclasts, and detailed molecular cascades that induce osteoclast differentiation, activation and apoptosis have been clarified. Osteoclasts are involved in various pathologic conditions, such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and tumor-induced bone disease, which are characterized by abnormal bone resorption, and the finding of RANKL has provided us a good therapeutic target for such pathologic conditions.
骨完整性通过骨形成与骨吸收之间的平衡得以维持，而破骨细胞是参与骨吸收的主要细胞。最近的研究揭示了巨噬细胞集落刺激因子（M-CSF）和核因子κB受体活化因子配体（RANKL）在破骨细胞发育中的重要作用，并且诱导破骨细胞分化、活化和凋亡的详细分子级联反应已得到阐明。破骨细胞参与多种病理状况，如骨质疏松症、类风湿性关节炎和肿瘤诱导的骨病，这些疾病的特征是骨吸收异常，而RANKL的发现为这类病理状况提供了一个良好的治疗靶点。
