| First Author | Bucay N | Year | 1998 |
| Journal | Genes Dev | Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 1260-8 |
| PubMed ID | 9573043 | Mgi Jnum | J:47602 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1203828 | Doi | 10.1101/gad.12.9.1260 |
| Citation | Bucay N, et al. (1998) osteoprotegerin-deficient mice develop early onset osteoporosis and arterial calcification. Genes Dev 12(9):1260-8 |
| abstractText | Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a secreted protein that inhibits osteoclast formation. In this study the physiological role of OPG is investigated by generating OPG-deficient mice. Adolescent and adult OPG-/- mice exhibit a decrease in total bone density characterized by severe trabecular and cortical bone porosity, marked thinning of the parietal bones of the skull, and a high incidence of fractures. These findings demonstrate that OPG is a critical regulator of postnatal bone mass. Unexpectedly, OPG-deficient mice also exhibit medial calcification of the aorta and renal arteries, suggesting that regulation of OPG, its signaling pathway, or its ligand(s) may play a role in the long observed association between osteoporosis and vascular calcification. |
