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Published on: March 18, 2019
P2 receptors in macrophage fusion and osteoclast formation
Thomas H Steinberg1, Jeffrey F Hiken
1Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA, steinber@id.wustl.edu.
Abstract:
Cells of the mononuclear phagocyte lineage fuse to form multinucleated giant cells and osteoclasts. Several lines of evidence suggest that P2 receptors, in particular P2X₇, are involved in this process, although P2X₇ is not absolutely required for fusion because P2X₇-null mice form multinucleated osteoclasts. Extracellular ATP may be an important regulator of macrophage fusion.
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