Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

A Simple Pit Assay Protocol to Visualize and Quantify Osteoclastic Resorption In Vitro
Published on: June 16, 2022
New immune connections in osteoclast formation
1Department of Cell Signaling, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. taka.csi@tmd.ac.jp
Osteoimmunology is an interdisciplinary research field that investigates the interplay of the skeletal and immune systems at the molecular level. The interaction between immune cells and osteoclasts has been a major topic in this field. As osteoclasts are derived from the monocyte/macrophage lineage, the macrophage-osteoclast interaction has long been studied. The T cell-osteoclast interaction has also attracted much attention in the study of bone destruction in arthritis. In addition, recent reports have revealed new players linking osteoclasts and other immune cells, including B cells and dendritic cells. Thus, a large number of molecules are in fact shared by osteoclasts and immune cells. These findings will lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of diseases affecting both systems and will provide a molecular basis for novel therapeutic strategies.
Osteoimmunology is an interdisciplinary research field that investigates the interplay of the skeletal and immune systems at the molecular level. The interaction between immune cells and osteoclasts has been a major topic in this field. As osteoclasts are derived from the monocyte/macrophage lineage, the macrophage-osteoclast interaction has long been studied. The T cell-osteoclast interaction has also attracted much attention in the study of bone destruction in arthritis. In addition, recent reports have revealed new players linking osteoclasts and other immune cells, including B cells and dendritic cells. Thus, a large number of molecules are in fact shared by osteoclasts and immune cells. These findings will lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of diseases affecting both systems and will provide a molecular basis for novel therapeutic strategies.
Related Concept Videos
Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling
Bone Remodeling
Bone Cells and Tissue
Osteoblasts and Osteocytes
The osteoblast is the bone cell responsible for forming new bone tissue. It is found in the growing portions of bone, including the periosteum and...
Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...
Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...

