[Cell biology of osteoclasts and molecular mechanisms of bone resorption]

The maintenance of a normal skeletal shape and bone mass closely depends on a normal osteoclastic activity, as do bone growth and repair. Thus, the improvement of our means of therapeutic intervention will depend on our better understanding of the molecular basis of bone resorption and of the cellbiology of the osteoclast. This review-article presents our current opinion of the molecular mechanisms of bone resorption by the osteoclast. After describing the morphological features of the osteoclast, aspects as cell mobility, attachment, enzymesynthesis, transmembrane transport, osteoclast differentiation and function, as well as the protooncogenes c-src and c-cbl and their role for bone resorption are presented in detail.