Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026

A RANKL-based Osteoclast Culture Assay of Mouse Bone Marrow to Investigate the Role of mTORC1 in Osteoclast Formation
Published on: March 15, 2018
Activation of HIFa pathway in mature osteoblasts disrupts the integrity of the osteocyte/canalicular network
Gui-lai Zuo1, Lian-fang Zhang2, Jin Qi3
1Shanghai Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Bone and Joint Diseases with Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China; Department of Orthopaedics, Qian Fo Shan Hospital, Shang Dong University, Ji Nan, China.
Abstract:
The hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), HIF-1α and HIF-2α, are the central mediators of the homeostatic response that enables cells to survive and differentiate in low-oxygen conditions. Previous studies indicated that disruption of the von Hippel-Lindau gene (Vhl) coincides with the activation of HIFα signaling. Here we show that inactivation of Vhl in mature osteoblasts/osteocytes induces their apoptosis and disrupts the cell/canalicular network. VHL-deficient (ΔVHL) mice exhibited a significantly increased cortical bone area resulting from enhanced proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of the bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) by inducing the expression of β-catenin in the BMSC. Our data suggest that the VHL/HIFα pathway in mature osteoblasts/osteocytes plays a critical role in the bone cell/canalicular network and that the changes of osteocyte morphology/function and cell/canalicular network may unleash the bone formation, The underlying mechanism of which was the accumulation of β-catenin in the osteoblasts/osteoprogenitors of the bone marrow.
Related Concept Videos
Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling
Bone Remodeling
Compact Bone
Compact bone, also called cortical bone, is the denser, stronger of the two types of bone tissue. It is found under the periosteum and in the diaphyses of long bones, where it provides support and protection. The microscopic structural unit of compact bone is called an osteon, or haversian system. Each osteon is composed of concentric rings of calcified...
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...
Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification
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...

