Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Bone Disorders01:29

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...
Bone Remodeling01:40

Bone Remodeling

Bone remodeling is a continuous and balanced process of bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. In adults, it helps maintain bone mass and calcium homeostasis. While mechanical stress can stimulate turnover as part of the normal maintenance and reparative process, several hormones also regulate bone remodeling.
Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling01:31

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...
Hormones and Bone Tissue01:17

Hormones and Bone Tissue

The endocrine system produces and secretes hormones, which interact with the skeletal system. These hormones control bone growth, maintain bone once it is formed, and remodel it.
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...
Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health01:25

Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health

The growth and maintenance of bone are regulated by a combination of nutritional factors, including vitamins, such as vitamin A, B12, C, D, and K.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase01:11

Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase

Genetic polymorphisms in drug targets have emerged as critical determinants of interindividual variability in drug response and toxicity. Pharmacogenomic investigations increasingly focus on identifying these variations to personalize and optimize therapeutic interventions. A drug target may be a receptor, enzyme, or signaling protein involved in pharmacologic responses or disease-related pathways. While early pharmacogenetic studies focused primarily on drug metabolism, current research...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Socioeconomic Barriers for Newly Transferred Young Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

CJC pediatric and congenital heart disease·2026
Same author

Fast & fuelious: the malate-aspartate shuttle in brown adipocyte lipid metabolism.

The FEBS journal·2026
Same author

No difference in patella mobility between conventional mechanically aligned and robotic-assisted functionally aligned total knee arthroplasty.

Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA·2026
Same author

<i>Mir147</i> Limits the Contribution of Non-Foamy Macrophages to Atherosclerosis.

Circulation·2026
Same author

Author Correction: The cold-induced lipokine 12,13-diHOME promotes fatty acid transport into brown adipose tissue.

Nature medicine·2026
Same author

Galectin-1 induces macrophage immunometabolic reprogramming, modulates T cell immunity and attenuates atherosclerotic plaque formation.

Atherosclerosis·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

A Novel in vivo Gene Transfer Technique and in vitro Cell Based Assays for the Study of Bone Loss in Musculoskeletal Disorders
11:47

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

Human apolipoprotein E isoforms differentially affect bone mass and turnover in vivo.

Marco Dieckmann1, F Timo Beil, Brigitte Mueller

  • 1Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research : the Official Journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
|September 20, 2012
PubMed
Summary

The APOE ε2 allele is linked to increased bone turnover and lower bone mass in mice and humans. This suggests APOE ε2 may be a genetic risk factor for vertebral fractures.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 18, 2026

A Novel in vivo Gene Transfer Technique and in vitro Cell Based Assays for the Study of Bone Loss in Musculoskeletal Disorders
11:47

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

Area of Science:

  • Bone Metabolism
  • Genetics
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • Apolipoprotein E (apoE) primarily mediates lipoprotein uptake.
  • Recent studies suggest apoE regulates bone metabolism in mice.
  • Human APOE gene has three common isoforms (ε2, ε3, ε4) with varying metabolic properties, but their influence on human bone traits is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of different human APOE isoforms on bone phenotypes.
  • To determine if APOE polymorphism influences bone metabolism and bone mass in humans.

Main Methods:

  • Generated apoE knock-in (k.i.) mice expressing human APOE ε2, ε3, or ε4 isoforms.
  • Analyzed bone formation and resorption markers, osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) ratio, histomorphometry, and micro-computed tomography (µCT) in female mice.
  • Assessed bone turnover markers in plasma from middle-aged men homozygous for APOE ε2/ε2, ε3/ε3, or ε4/ε4.

Main Results:

  • ApoE2 k.i. mice showed increased bone turnover markers and a lower OPG/RANKL ratio, indicating heightened resorption.
  • Histomorphometry and µCT revealed significantly lower trabecular bone mass and reduced vertebral strength in apoE2 k.i. mice compared to apoE3 and apoE4 k.i. mice.
  • Human ε2/ε2 carriers exhibited a lower OPG/RANKL ratio in serum compared to ε3/ε3 and ε4/ε4 individuals, mirroring mouse findings.

Conclusions:

  • Apolipoprotein E plays a significant role in regulating bone metabolism.
  • The APOE ε2 allele is associated with increased bone turnover and reduced trabecular bone mass.
  • APOE ε2 may represent a genetic risk factor for low bone mass and vertebral fractures in humans.