Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jun 30;127(7):2539-2540.
doi: 10.1172/JCI95386. Epub 2017 Jun 19.

The brains of the bones: how osteocytes use WNT1 to control bone formation

Frank Rauch

The brains of the bones: how osteocytes use WNT1 to control bone formation

Frank Rauch. J Clin Invest. .

Abstract

WNT proteins drive the development and maintenance of many tissues, including bone. It is less clear which of the many WNT proteins act on bone or where these WNTs act in the skeleton; however, loss-of-function mutations in WNT1 cause bone fragility in children and adults. In this issue of the JCI, Joeng and colleagues demonstrate that bone formation is under the control of WNT1 produced by osteocytes, the cells that reside deep in the bone matrix and form dendritic networks. The implication of WNT1 in the control of bone formation identifies a potential new target for the treatment of low bone mass disorders, such as osteoporosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: The author has declared that no conflict of interest exists.

Comment on

  • Osteocyte-specific WNT1 regulates osteoblast function during bone homeostasis doi: 10.1172/JCI92617

References

    1. Gong Y, et al. LDL receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) affects bone accrual and eye development. Cell. 2001;107(4):513–523. doi: 10.1016/S0092-8674(01)00571-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Laine CM, et al. WNT1 mutations in early-onset osteoporosis and osteogenesis imperfecta. N Engl J Med. 2013;368(19):1809–1816. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1215458. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fahiminiya S, Majewski J, Mort J, Moffatt P, Glorieux FH, Rauch F. Mutations in WNT1 are a cause of osteogenesis imperfecta. J Med Genet. 2013;50(5):345–348. doi: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2013-101567. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Keupp K, et al. Mutations in WNT1 cause different forms of bone fragility. Am J Hum Genet. 2013;92(4):565–574. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.02.010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pyott SM, et al. WNT1 mutations in families affected by moderately severe and progressive recessive osteogenesis imperfecta. Am J Hum Genet. 2013;92(4):590–597. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.02.009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed