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
Review
. 2021 Jan;39(1):13-18.
doi: 10.1007/s00774-020-01191-1. Epub 2021 Jan 1.

RANKL as the master regulator of osteoclast differentiation

Hiroshi Takayanagi  1
Affiliations
Review

RANKL as the master regulator of osteoclast differentiation

Hiroshi Takayanagi. J Bone Miner Metab. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

RANKL, the essential cue for osteoclast differentiation, is the membrane-bound factor expressed by osteoclastogenesis-supporting cells such as osteoblasts and osteocytes. In vivo evidence indicates that RANKL functions as the indispensable and irreplaceable in the program of osteoclast differentiation. The reason why RANKL plays a critical role in osteoclastogenesis is discussed from the viewpoint of the distinct signaling pathways mediated by co-stimulatory receptors and the key transcription factor NFATc1.

Keywords: OPG; Osteoclasts; Osteoimmunology; RANK; RANKL.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Okamoto K, Nakashima T, Shinohara M, Negishi-Koga T, Komatsu N, Terashima A, Sawa S, Nitta T, Takayanagi H (2017) Osteoimmunology: the conceptual framework unifying the immune and skeletal systems (in eng). Physiol Rev 97:1295–1349. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00036.2016 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tsukasaki M, Takayanagi H (2019) Osteoimmunology: evolving concepts in bone-immune interactions in health and disease (in eng). Nat Rev Immunol 19:626–642. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-019-0178-8 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Asagiri M, Takayanagi H (2007) The molecular understanding of osteoclast differentiation (in eng). Bone 40:251–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2006.09.023 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yasuda H, Shima N, Nakagawa N, Yamaguchi K, Kinosaki M, Mochizuki S, Tomoyasu A, Yano K, Goto M, Murakami A, Tsuda E, Morinaga T, Higashio K, Udagawa N, Takahashi N, Suda T (1998) Osteoclast differentiation factor is a ligand for osteoprotegerin/osteoclastogenesis-inhibitory factor and is identical to TRANCE/RANKL (in eng). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 95:3597–3602 - DOI
    1. Lacey DL, Timms E, Tan HL, Kelley MJ, Dunstan CR et al (1998) Osteoprotegerin ligand is a cytokine that regulates osteoclast differentiation and activation (in eng). Cell 93:165–176 - DOI

LinkOut - more resources