Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026

A Novel in vivo Gene Transfer Technique and in vitro Cell Based Assays for the Study of Bone Loss in Musculoskeletal Disorders
Published on: June 8, 2014
Bone biology and the role of the RANK ligand pathway
Rashmi K Murthy1, P K Morrow, Richard L Theriault
1Department of Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA.
Abstract:
Bone biology and the molecular basis of normal bone remodeling are important for understanding bone health, particularly for medical professionals who are treating patients with skeletal complications. Key factors in bone remodeling include RANK ligand, which stimulates bone resorption, and osteoprotegerin (OPG), which inhibits bone resorption. The ratio between these two factors regulates osteoclast formation and activity. An imbalance in the expression of RANK ligand and OPG is an underlying mechanism in cancer treatment-induced bone loss, in bone metastasis in patients with solid tumors, and in osteolysis in patients with multiple myeloma. In cancer-induced bone disease, for example, RANK ligand overwhelms the effects of OPG, leading to imbalanced bone remodeling and the "vicious cycle" of metastatic disease. Experimental therapeutics that target RANK ligand are increasingly being studied and have shown promise for decreasing tumor-related bone disease.
Related Concept Videos
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
Ligand Binding Sites
Protein-ligand interactions are quite specific; even though numerous potential ligands surround a cellular protein at any given time, only a particular ligand can bind to that protein. Moreover, a ligand binds only to a dedicated area on the surface of the protein, known as the...
Ligand Binding Sites
Protein-ligand interactions are quite specific; even though numerous potential ligands surround a cellular protein at any given time, only a particular ligand can bind to that protein. Moreover, a ligand binds only to a dedicated area on the surface of the protein, known as the...
Signal Transduction: Overview
Typically, signal transduction involves three...
Hormones and Bone Tissue
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...
