Bone articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    In their previous study, the researchers systematically revealed that endplate sclerosis is a significant aspect of spine degeneration or aging and a primary source of spinal pain. However, the underlying mechanisms of endplate sclerosis remained unclear. In their current report, it is shown that senescent cells accumulate in the sclerotic endplates of lumbar spine instability (LSI) or aging mouse models. The clearance of these senescent cells was found to restrain angiogenesis coupled with endplate sclerosis. Notably, macrophages were identified as undergoing senescence in the sclerotic endplates. The specific knockout of cdkn2a (p16) in macrophages abrogated LSI or aging-induced angiogenesis and sclerosis in the endplates. Moreover, both in vivo and in vitro studies indicated that IL-10 mediates the effects of senescent macrophages on angiogenesis and sclerosis in the endplates. Overall, these findings suggest that senescent macrophages orchestrate angiogenesis coupling with endplate sclerosis via the IL-10/pSTAT3 axis. This study enhances the understanding of the connection between immune senescence and endplate sclerosis and uncovers senescent macrophage-initiated endplate sclerosis as potential therapeutic targets for spinal degeneration.

    • Yonggang Fan
    • , Weixin Zhang
    •  & Shuangfei Ni

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Osteocytes are the key cellular components of cortical bone. Here they show that osteocytes transfer mitochondria to the endothelial cells of transcortical vessels (TCVs), which promotes angiogenesis and increases function of the TCV network.

    • Peng Liao
    • , Long Chen
    •  & Junjie Gao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, Shao et. al attribute the reduction in bone mechano-responsiveness seen in type 2 diabetes to abnormal osteocytic calcium dynamics. They identify reduced SERCA2 pump activity as a mediator of this process and show that rescuing SERCA2 significantly improves bone mechanical adaptation in this context.

    • Xi Shao
    • , Yulan Tian
    •  & Da Jing

  • Article
    | Open Access

    To consider the impact of sex on adaptation to space, the European Space Agency initiated VIVALDI dry immersion microgravity simulation in female subjects. Here, the authors show marked deconditioning with 5-day exposure, and propose comprehensive multi-system physiological assessment in 18 healthy women.

    • Adrien Robin
    • , Angelique Van Ombergen
    •  & Nastassia Navasiolava

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors demonstrate that BRCA1-associated protein 1 (Bap1) regulates osteoclast’s capacity to degrade bone. Reprogramming of epigenetic-metabolic axis upon Bap1 loss inhibits bone degradation, preserving bone mass, making it a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis.

    • Nidhi Rohatgi
    • , Wei Zou
    •  & Steven L. Teitelbaum

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bone marrow adiposity is linked to disease, and it is unknown how it is modulated during space travel. Here, the authors show that astronauts returning from ISS missions had decreased marrow fat and increased hematopoiesis and bone formation, suggesting that adipose reserves in the bone marrow might be used as an energy source to counteract anemia and bone loss associated with space flight.

    • Tammy Liu
    • , Gerd Melkus
    •  & Guy Trudel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here the authors report new human fossils from Tam Pà Ling cave, Laos, consisting of a cranial and a tibial fragment, dated to 68–86 thousand years ago. This find confirms that Homo sapiens were present in Southeast Asia by this time and the shape of the fossils indicates they may have descended from non-local populations.

    • Sarah E. Freidline
    • , Kira E. Westaway
    •  & Fabrice Demeter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Authors present both preclinical data in mice and clinical data from humans in support of the hypothesis that stress negatively affects bone growth and repair. These effects are mediated by neutrophil-derived catecholamines inhibiting cartilage-to-bone transition via β2-adrenoceptor signaling in chondrocytes.

    • Miriam E. A. Tschaffon-Müller
    • , Elena Kempter
    •  & Stefan O. Reber

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gonadotropes in the pituitary secrete follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone to control gonadal function and fertility, but whether they exert actions on extra-gonadal organs is not fully understood. Here the authors report that gonadotropes regulate liver steatosis independent of the ovaries in mice.

    • Sen Qiao
    • , Samer Alasmi
    •  & Ulrich Boehm

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bone maintenance in health and disease depends on bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Whitlock et al. demonstrate that an RNA chaperon -La protein- lives a second life as a key regulator of osteoclast size and function, suggesting a new therapeutic target.

    • Jarred M. Whitlock
    • , Evgenia Leikina
    •  & Leonid V. Chernomordik

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Raine syndrome is associated with loss-of-function mutations of FAM20C. Here we show that Raine-originated mutations abrogate the interaction between FAM20C and C4ST-1 to alter chondroitin sulfate sulfation status and impact biomineralization in vitro and bone mineral density in vivo in mouse models, thereby serving clues for Raine syndrome etiology.

    • Toshiyasu Koike
    • , Tadahisa Mikami
    •  & Hiroshi Kitagawa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How bone-related sexually dimorphic traits are regulated hasn’t been examined at the stem cell level. Here the authors show that skeletal stem cells (SSC), in female but not male mice, are directly controlled by estrogen signaling, which could be augmented to improve fracture repair.

    • Tom W. Andrew
    • , Lauren S. Koepke
    •  & Charles K. F. Chan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Antibodies targeting sclerostin can ameliorate postmenopausal osteoporosis but present some cardiovascular risk. Here the authors show that the cardiovascular and skeletal effects of sclerostin are mediated by different loops, suggesting ways to preserve the positive effects on bone formation while avoiding the negative cardiovascular consequences.

    • Yuanyuan Yu
    • , Luyao Wang
    •  & Ge Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Intramembranous and endochondral bone formation have been considered to be independent processes mediated by independent stem cells. Here the authors show that periosteal stem cells participate in both types of bone formation, supporting endochondral formation by producing Ihh.

    • Masayuki Tsukasaki
    • , Noriko Komatsu
    •  & Hiroshi Takayanagi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Osteocytes play an important role in the development and progression of tumour-associated bone disease. Here the authors report an interaction between malignant plasma cells and osteocytes in multiple myeloma and show that the osteocyte-expressed major histocompatibility complex class II transactivator (CIITA) contributes to myeloma-induced bone lesions.

    • Huan Liu
    • , Jin He
    •  & Jing Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bone remodeling involves a switch between bone formation and resorption, but the mechanisms is unclear. Here, the authors show that intercellular communication via extracellular vesicles secreted by mature osteoblasts is a key factor for the switching, via a microRNA-mediated mechanism.

    • Maki Uenaka
    • , Erika Yamashita
    •  & Masaru Ishii

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Parathyroid hormone (PTH) plays a role in maintaining calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, and in secondary hyperparathyroidism excess PTH secretion contributes to bone loss. Here the authors report an optogenetic approach to inhibit PTH secretion in human hyperplastic parathyroid cells, and prevented hyperplastic parathyroid tissue-induced bone loss in mice.

    • Yunhui Liu
    • , Lu Zhang
    •  & Fan Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mechanical force is critical for the development and remodeling of bones. Here the authors report that mechanical force regulates the production of the metabolite asymmetric dimethylarginine via regulating the expression of the hydrolytic enzyme dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 in osteoblasts.

    • Ziang Xie
    • , Lei Hou
    •  & Shunwu Fan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Current treatments cannot significantly alleviate the radiographic progression in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which results in joints stiffness and bony fusion of AS. Smo inhibitor sonidegib retards the pathological new bone formation in AS through targeting dysfunctional chondrogenesis.

    • Fenli Shao
    • , Qianqian Liu
    •  & Yang Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of pathological mature bone within extraskeletal soft tissues, and there are currently no reliable methods for removing these calcified plaques. Here, the authors demonstrate that chemically engineered osteoclasts coated with tetracycline can improve their targeting capacity to ectopic calcifications, which extends their bone resorption functions for the treatment of HO.

    • Wenjing Jin
    • , Xianfeng Lin
    •  & Ruikang Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Vascularization is critical for cranial bone growth, maintenance, and healing, but it remains unknown how blood vessels are spatially distributed in the calvarium, and how they interact with skeletal progenitors during these processes. Here, the authors apply a quantitative light-sheet imaging platform to visualize and analyze the relationship between blood vessels and skeletal progenitors throughout the murine calvarium.

    • Alexandra N. Rindone
    • , Xiaonan Liu
    •  & Warren L. Grayson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool are recommended tools for osteoporotic fracture risk evaluation, but are underutilized. Here, the authors present an opportunistic tool to identify fractures, predict bone mineral density and evaluate fracture risk using plain pelvis and lumbar spine radiographs.

    • Chen-I Hsieh
    • , Kang Zheng
    •  & Chang-Fu Kuo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Osteoporosis and bone fractures affect millions of patients worldwide and are often due to increased bone resorption. Here the authors identify the cytoplasmic protein ELMO1 as an important ‘signaling node’ promoting the bone resorption function of osteoclasts.

    • Sanja Arandjelovic
    • , Justin S. A. Perry
    •  & Kodi S. Ravichandran

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Soft tissue trauma can result in aberrant osteochondral differentiation of local mesenchymal progenitor cells. Here the authors show that, in mice, soft tissue trauma results in NGF expression by perivascular cells, which leads to axonal invasion and drives abnormal osteochondral differentiation, and show that this process can be prevented by inhibition of NGF signaling.

    • Seungyong Lee
    • , Charles Hwang
    •  & Benjamin Levi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Genetic association signals for fractures have been reported at the RSPO3 locus, but the causal gene and the underlying mechanism are unknown. Here, the authors show that RSPO3 exerts an important role for vertebral trabecular bone mass and bone strength in mice and fracture risk in humans.

    • Karin H. Nilsson
    • , Petra Henning
    •  & Claes Ohlsson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Different types of mesenchymal progenitors participate in ectopic bone formation. Here, the authors show Col2+ lineage cells adopt a lymphatic endothelium cell fate, which regulates local inflammatory microenvironment after trauma, thus influencing heterotopic ossification (HO) development via a FGFR3-BMPR1a pathway.

    • Dali Zhang
    • , Junlan Huang
    •  & Yangli Xie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Osteoarthritis is caused by an imbalance between extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation. Here, the authors show that both strands of microRNA-455, -5p and -3p, target HIF2α and regulate cartilage homeostasis, and show that overexpression of these miRNAs is protective against osteoarthritis in mice.

    • Yoshiaki Ito
    • , Tokio Matsuzaki
    •  & Hiroshi Asahara

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Supplementation of magnesium (Mg2+) or its inclusion in biomaterials has beneficial effects for bone formation, but it has also been reported that it can have detrimental effects. Here, the authors analyse dose- and time-dependent effects of Mg2+ on bone regeneration and show that it can stimulate monocyte-macrophage lineage cells to support bone formation in the early phases of repair, but inhibit bone repair and mineralization in later stages by promoting a pro-inflammatory environment.

    • Wei Qiao
    • , Karen H. M. Wong
    •  & Kelvin W. K. Yeung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bone regeneration involves activation of tissue resident stem cells. Here the authors show that mesenchymal progenitors from skeletal muscle mediate the fibrotic response to bone injury and also contribute to bone repair; processes that are impaired when both muscle and bone are injured.

    • Anais Julien
    • , Anuya Kanagalingam
    •  & Céline Colnot

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanism by which parathyroid hormone mediates the switch from bone resorption to bone formation is unclear. Here, the authors show that SLPI regulates the communication between osteoblasts and osteoclasts to promote the anabolic effect of parathyroid hormone.

    • Akito Morimoto
    • , Junichi Kikuta
    •  & Masaru Ishii

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glucocorticoids (GCs) inhibit bone angiogenesis and affect bone development, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, the authors show that GCs induce vascular cell senescence during bone development by inhibiting angiogenin secretion from osteoclasts, impairing angiogenesis via endothelial Plexin B2, resulting in unpaired bone growth.

    • Xiaonan Liu
    • , Yu Chai
    •  & Mei Wan

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