Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Bone Disorders

Bone Disorders

Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...

What is the Skeletal System?

What is the Skeletal System?

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during bone...

The Functions of the Skeletal System

The Functions of the Skeletal System

The most apparent functions of the skeletal system are support, protection, and movement. However, bone tissue also performs several other critical metabolic functions. For one, the bone matrix acts as a reservoir for a number of minerals important to the functioning of the body, especially calcium and phosphorus. These minerals, present in the bone tissue, can be released back into the bloodstream when required. Calcium ions, for example, are essential for muscle contractions and controlling...

Anaphase Promoting Complex

Anaphase Promoting Complex

The stepwise destruction of specific proteins is necessary for the progression and completion of the cell cycle. Such proteins are ubiquitinated by ubiquitin ligases and then subsequently destroyed by the proteasome. The SCF (Skp1/Cullin/F-box) and the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) are two important ubiquitin ligases involved in cell cycle progression. While SCF is active throughout the cell cycle, APC gets activated during metaphase to anaphase transition. Cdc20 or Cdh1 binds to APC and...

Cytoskeletal Accessory Proteins

Cytoskeletal Accessory Proteins

The cytoskeleton is an essential cell component that plays several structural and functional roles. However, the filaments that make up the cytoskeleton cannot function independently and depend on the accessory or ancillary proteins to effectively carry out their function. Accessory proteins associate with cytoskeletal filaments and their monomers, aiding filament formation and function. They also help in the cross-communication among cytoskeletal filaments. Cytoskeletal accessory proteins are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Latent transforming growth factor binding protein-2 (LTBP2), an IPF biomarker of clinical decline, promotes TGF-beta signaling and lung fibrosis in mice.

American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology·2026

Same author

A community-informed toolkit for physician-scientist competencies and milestones: bridging the worlds of medicine and research.

Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges·2026

Same author

Activation of the noncanonical inflammasome-GSDMD pathway triggers pyroptosis in bone marrow and promotes periosteal bone formation.

Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research·2025

Same author

Loss of MFAP5 and Its Effect on Skin Homeostasis and Wound Healing.

FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology·2025

Same author

Activation of the noncanonical inflammasome-GSDMD pathway triggers pyroptosis in bone marrow and promotes periosteal bone formation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Elastin Regulation of Vasoreactivity in Resistance Arteries.

Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979)·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Skeletal Phenotype Analysis of a Conditional Stat3 Deletion Mouse Model

Skeletal Phenotype Analysis of a Conditional Stat3 Deletion Mouse Model

Published on: July 3, 2020

Cytoskeletal dysfunction dominates in DAP12-deficient osteoclasts.

Wei Zou¹, Tingting Zhu, Clarissa S Craft

¹Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.

Journal of Cell Science

|August 20, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

DAP12 deficiency in osteoclasts impairs their cytoskeleton, hindering bone resorption. FcRgamma partially rescues this defect, suggesting cytoskeletal dysfunction is the primary issue, not impaired differentiation.

More Related Videos

A RANKL-based Osteoclast Culture Assay of Mouse Bone Marrow to Investigate the Role of mTORC1 in Osteoclast Formation

A RANKL-based Osteoclast Culture Assay of Mouse Bone Marrow to Investigate the Role of mTORC1 in Osteoclast Formation

Published on: March 15, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Skeletal Phenotype Analysis of a Conditional Stat3 Deletion Mouse Model

Skeletal Phenotype Analysis of a Conditional Stat3 Deletion Mouse Model

Published on: July 3, 2020

A RANKL-based Osteoclast Culture Assay of Mouse Bone Marrow to Investigate the Role of mTORC1 in Osteoclast Formation

A RANKL-based Osteoclast Culture Assay of Mouse Bone Marrow to Investigate the Role of mTORC1 in Osteoclast Formation

Published on: March 15, 2018

Area of Science:

Immunology
Cell Biology
Skeletal Biology

Background:

DAP12 (DNAX-activating protein 12) is an ITAM-bearing protein involved in osteoclast function.
Mice lacking DAP12 show mild osteopetrosis, but severe osteopetrosis in mice lacking both DAP12 and FcRgamma suggests FcRgamma compensation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether DAP12 deficiency primarily affects osteoclast differentiation or bone resorption capacity.
To determine the role of FcRgamma, specifically OSCAR, in compensating for DAP12 deficiency in osteoclasts.

Main Methods:

Osteoclast differentiation and functional assays were performed on wild-type and Dap12(-/-) mice.
Overexpression of OSCAR fused to FLAG (OSCAR-FLAG) in Dap12(-/-) osteoclasts.
Assessment of osteoclast cytoskeleton, transmigration, and bone resorption capacity.

Main Results:

Dap12(-/-) osteoclasts exhibit normal differentiation but possess a dysfunctional cytoskeleton, impairing transmigration and bone resorption.
OSCAR-FLAG partially rescued the cytoskeletal defect in Dap12(-/-) osteoclasts cultured on bone, but not on osteoblasts.
Osteoblasts did not normalize Dap12(-/-) osteoclasts, indicating a lack of relevant OSCAR ligand in these cells.

Conclusions:

Cytoskeletal dysfunction, not impaired differentiation, is the primary consequence of DAP12 deficiency in osteoclasts.
FcRgamma, via OSCAR, plays a partial compensatory role in osteoclast function when DAP12 is absent.
Bone-forming cells do not appear to provide sufficient OSCAR ligand to rescue DAP12-deficient osteoclast function.