Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2026

Real-Time Imaging of CCL5-Induced Migration of Periosteal Skeletal Stem Cells in Mice
Published on: September 16, 2020
Mesenchymal progenitor cell Zeb1 regulates bone homeostasis and PTH-dependent anabolic responses
Bingyun Liu1, Jingwen Yang2, Zhuo Chen1
1State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079, China.
Abstract:
The regulation of postnatal bone homeostasis by specific transcriptional programs in skeletal mesenchymal progenitor cells remains incompletely understood. While epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transcription factors are critical drivers of cellular plasticity, their physiological roles in bone-forming lineages are largely unknown. Here, we identify the EMT transcription factor Zeb1 as a central regulator of osteogenic differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Conditional knockout of Zeb1 in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) using Prrx1-Cre impairs bone formation, giving rise to a significant osteopenic phenotype. At the cellular level, Zeb1-deficient BMSCs display impaired osteogenic differentiation and self-renewal. Transcriptional profiling further defined a role for Zeb1 in regulating the expression of the parathyroid hormone type 1 receptor (PTH1R), a key mediator of skeletal anabolism. Consequently, Zeb1 loss attenuated PTH1R levels and blunted downstream PTH signaling, rendering mice refractory to the bone-anabolic effects of intermittent PTH treatment. Taken together, these studies identify Zeb1 as a key transcriptional regulator governing osteoblastogenesis, bridging skeletal mesenchymal progenitor cell fate regulation with PTH-mediated anabolic control of bone mass.
Related Concept Videos
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...
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...
Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis
Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification
