-
Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental Mar 2018Sclerosteosis and van Buchem disease (VBD) are two rare autosomal recessive disorders that results from osteoblast hyperactivity, in which progressive bone overgrowth... (Review)
Review
Sclerosteosis and van Buchem disease (VBD) are two rare autosomal recessive disorders that results from osteoblast hyperactivity, in which progressive bone overgrowth leads to very dense bones, distortion of the face, and entrapment of cranial nerves. Sclerosteosis is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the SOST gene which encodes a secreted glycoprotein, sclerostin. VBD is caused by a noncoding deletion that removes a SOST-specific regulatory element in bone. In bone, SOST is expressed predominantly by osteocytes and sclerostin suppresses bone formation by inhibiting the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Here we describe how human genetics studies in sclerosteosis and VBD patients, in combination with the generation of transgenic and knockout mice, has led to a better understanding of the role of sclerostin in bone metabolism.
Topics: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Animals; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; Disease Models, Animal; Genetic Markers; Humans; Hyperostosis; Osteochondrodysplasias; Syndactyly
PubMed: 29080811
DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2017.10.005 -
The Journal of International Medical... Aug 2023Sclerostin, a protein encoded by the sclerostin () gene, is mostly expressed in osteocytes. First described in the pathogenesis of three disorders, sclerosteosis, van... (Review)
Review
Sclerostin, a protein encoded by the sclerostin () gene, is mostly expressed in osteocytes. First described in the pathogenesis of three disorders, sclerosteosis, van Buchem's disease, and craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, sclerostin has been identified as an important regulator of bone homeostasis, controlling bone formation by osteoblasts through inhibition of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Recent studies have highlighted a hypothetical role of sclerostin in myogenesis, thus modulating the interaction between bone and muscle. This narrative review provides an overview of the clinical implications of sclerostin modulation on skeletal muscle mass and function, and bone metabolism. Improving knowledge about muscle-bone crosstalk may represent a turning point in the development of therapeutic strategies for musculoskeletal disorders, particularly osteosarcopenia.
Topics: Humans; Hyperostosis; Knowledge; Muscles; Osteoblasts; Osteogenesis
PubMed: 37632438
DOI: 10.1177/03000605231193293 -
International Journal of Molecular... Apr 2022Sclerostin is secreted from osteocytes, binds to the Wnt co-receptor Lrp5/6, and affects the interaction between Wnt ligands and Lrp5/6, which inhibits Wnt/β-catenin... (Review)
Review
Sclerostin is secreted from osteocytes, binds to the Wnt co-receptor Lrp5/6, and affects the interaction between Wnt ligands and Lrp5/6, which inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signals and suppresses bone formation. Sclerostin plays an important role in the preservation of bone mass by functioning as a negative regulator of bone formation. A sclerostin deficiency causes sclerosteosis, which is characterized by an excess bone mass with enhanced bone formation in humans and mice. The expression of sclerostin is positively and negatively regulated by many factors, which also govern bone metabolism. Positive and negative regulators of sclerostin expression and their effects are introduced and discussed herein based on recent and previous findings, including our research.
Topics: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Animals; Bone Density; Glycoproteins; Mice; Osteocytes; Osteogenesis
PubMed: 35563281
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094895 -
Bone Mar 2017After discovering that lack of Sost/sclerostin expression is the cause of the high bone mass human syndromes Van Buchem disease and sclerosteosis, extensive animal... (Review)
Review
After discovering that lack of Sost/sclerostin expression is the cause of the high bone mass human syndromes Van Buchem disease and sclerosteosis, extensive animal experimentation and clinical studies demonstrated that sclerostin plays a critical role in bone homeostasis and that its deficiency or pharmacological neutralization increases bone formation. Dysregulation of sclerostin expression also underlies the pathophysiology of skeletal disorders characterized by loss of bone mass, as well as the damaging effects of some cancers in bone. Thus, sclerostin has quickly become a promising molecular target for the treatment of osteoporosis and other skeletal diseases, and beneficial skeletal outcomes are observed in animal studies and clinical trials using neutralizing antibodies against sclerostin. However, the anabolic effect of blocking sclerostin decreases with time, bone mass accrual is also accompanied by anti-catabolic effects, and there is bone loss over time after therapy discontinuation. Further, the cellular source of sclerostin in the bone/bone marrow microenvironment under physiological and pathological conditions, the pathways that regulate sclerostin expression and the mechanisms by which sclerostin modulates the activity of osteocytes, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts remain unclear. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge on the regulation of Sost/sclerotin expression and its mechanism(s) of action, discuss novel observations regarding its role in signaling pathways activated by hormones and mechanical stimuli in bone, and propose future research needed to understand the full potential of therapeutic interventions that modulate Sost/sclerostin expression.
Topics: Animals; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; Bone Resorption; Bone and Bones; Humans; Osteogenesis; Parathyroid Hormone; Wnt Signaling Pathway
PubMed: 27742498
DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2016.10.007 -
Calcified Tissue International Aug 2010In recent years study of rare human bone disorders has led to the identification of important signaling pathways that regulate bone formation. Such diseases include the... (Review)
Review
In recent years study of rare human bone disorders has led to the identification of important signaling pathways that regulate bone formation. Such diseases include the bone sclerosing dysplasias sclerosteosis and van Buchem disease, which are due to deficiency of sclerostin, a protein secreted by osteocytes that inhibits bone formation by osteoblasts. The restricted expression pattern of sclerostin in the skeleton and the exclusive bone phenotype of good quality of patients with sclerosteosis and van Buchem disease provide the basis for the design of therapeutics that stimulate bone formation. We review here current knowledge of the regulation of the expression and formation of sclerostin, its mechanism of action, and its potential as a bone-building treatment for patients with osteoporosis.
Topics: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; Craniofacial Abnormalities; Forecasting; Genetic Markers; Humans; Hyperostosis; Mandible; Osteoblasts; Osteochondrodysplasias; Osteocytes; Osteogenesis; Osteosclerosis; Signal Transduction; Skull; Syndactyly
PubMed: 20473488
DOI: 10.1007/s00223-010-9372-1 -
Reviews in Endocrine & Metabolic... Jun 2015A dozen years ago the identification of causal mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) gene involved in two rare bone disorders... (Review)
Review
A dozen years ago the identification of causal mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) gene involved in two rare bone disorders propelled research in the bone field in totally new directions. Since then, there have been an explosion in the number of reports that highlight the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in the regulation of bone homeostasis. In this review we discuss some of the most recent reports (in the past 2 years) highlighting the involvement of the members of the LRP family (LRP5, LRP6, LRP4, and more recently LRP8) in the maintenance of bone and their implications in bone diseases. These reports include records of new single nucleotides polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes that suggest variants in these genes can contribute to subtle variation in bone traits to mutations that give rise to extreme bone phenotypes. All of these serve to further support and reinforce the importance of this tightly regulated pathway in bone. Furthermore, we discuss provocative reports suggesting novel approaches through inhibitors of this pathway to treat rarer diseases such as Osteoporosis-Pseudoglioma Syndrome (OPPG), Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), and Sclerosteosis/Van Buchem disease. It is hoped that by understanding the role of each component of the pathway and their involvement in bone diseases that this knowledge will allow us to develop new, more effective therapeutic approaches for more common diseases such as post-menopausal osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis as well as these rarer bone diseases.
Topics: Animals; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Bone Diseases; Humans; LDL-Receptor Related Proteins; Multigene Family; Mutation; Osteoarthritis; Osteoporosis; Wnt Signaling Pathway
PubMed: 26048454
DOI: 10.1007/s11154-015-9315-2 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2020Osteocytes are the most abundant (~95%) cells in bone with the longest half-life (~25 years) in humans. In the past osteocytes have been regarded as vestigial cells in... (Review)
Review
Osteocytes are the most abundant (~95%) cells in bone with the longest half-life (~25 years) in humans. In the past osteocytes have been regarded as vestigial cells in bone, since they are buried inside the tough bone matrix. However, during the last 30 years it has become clear that osteocytes are as important as bone forming osteoblasts and bone resorbing osteoclasts in maintaining bone homeostasis. The osteocyte cell body and dendritic processes reside in bone in a complex lacuno-canalicular system, which allows the direct networking of osteocytes to their neighboring osteocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, bone marrow, blood vessels, and nerves. Mechanosensing of osteocytes translates the applied mechanical force on bone to cellular signaling and regulation of bone adaptation. The osteocyte lacuno-canalicular system is highly efficient in transferring external mechanical force on bone to the osteocyte cell body and dendritic processes via displacement of fluid in the lacuno-canalicular space. Osteocyte mechanotransduction regulates the formation and function of the osteoblasts and osteoclasts to maintain bone homeostasis. Osteocytes produce a variety of proteins and signaling molecules such as sclerostin, cathepsin K, Wnts, DKK1, DMP1, IGF1, and RANKL/OPG to regulate osteoblast and osteoclast activity. Various genetic abnormality-associated rare bone diseases are related to disrupted osteocyte functions, including sclerosteosis, van Buchem disease, hypophosphatemic rickets, and WNT1 and plastin3 mutation-related disorders. Meticulous studies during the last 15 years on disrupted osteocyte function in rare bone diseases guided for the development of various novel therapeutic agents to treat bone diseases. Studies on genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of sclerosteosis and van Buchem disease revealed a role for sclerostin in bone homeostasis, which led to the development of the sclerostin antibody to treat osteoporosis and other bone degenerative diseases. The mechanism of many other rare bone diseases and the role of the osteocyte in the development of such conditions still needs to be investigated. In this review, we mainly discuss the knowledge obtained during the last 30 years on the role of the osteocyte in rare bone diseases. We speculate about future research directions to develop novel therapeutic drugs targeting osteocyte functions to treat both common and rare bone diseases.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Bone Diseases; Bone Remodeling; Humans; Mechanotransduction, Cellular; Osteocytes; Rare Diseases
PubMed: 32733380
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00405 -
Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) Sep 2020Sclerosteosis, a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by a mutation of the Sost gene, manifests in the facial skeleton by gigantism, facial distortion,...
Sclerosteosis, a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by a mutation of the Sost gene, manifests in the facial skeleton by gigantism, facial distortion, mandibular prognathism, cranial nerve palsy, and, in extreme cases, compression of the medulla oblongata. Mice lacking sclerostin reflect some symptoms of sclerosteosis, but this is the first report of the effect on the facial skeleton. We used geometric morphometrics (GMM) to analyze the deformations of the murine facial skeleton from the wild-type to the Sost gene knockout. Landmark coordinates were obtained by surface reconstructions from micro-computed tomography. Centroid size, principal component scores in shape space and form space, and asymmetry were computed by the standard GMM formulas, and dental and skeletal jaw lengths were examined as ratios. We show here that, compared to wild type controls, mice lacking Sost have larger centroid size (effect size, p-value: 4.59, <.001), higher mean asymmetry (1.14, .065), dental and skeletal mandibular prognathism (1.36, .010 and 5.92, <.001), a smaller foramen magnum (-1.71, .015), and calvaria that are more highly curved (form space p = 4.09, .002; shape space p = 12.82, .002). These features of mice lacking sclerostin largely correspond to the changes of the facial skeleton observed in sclerosteosis. This alignment further supports claims that the Sost gene plays a fundamental role in bony facial development in rodents and humans alike.
Topics: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Animals; Humans; Hyperostosis; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Mutation; Skull; Syndactyly; X-Ray Microtomography
PubMed: 31729194
DOI: 10.1002/ar.24318 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2020Current genetic studies of monogenic and complex bone diseases have broadened our understanding of disease pathophysiology, highlighting the need for medical... (Review)
Review
Current genetic studies of monogenic and complex bone diseases have broadened our understanding of disease pathophysiology, highlighting the need for medical interventions and treatments tailored to the characteristics of patients. As genomic research progresses, novel insights into the molecular mechanisms are starting to provide support to clinical decision-making; now offering ample opportunities for disease screening, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Drug targets holding mechanisms with genetic support are more likely to be successful. Therefore, implementing genetic information to the drug development process and a molecular redefinition of skeletal disease can help overcoming current shortcomings in pharmaceutical research, including failed attempts and appalling costs. This review summarizes the achievements of genetic studies in the bone field and their application to clinical care, illustrating the imminent advent of the genomic medicine era.
Topics: Bone Diseases, Developmental; Drug Discovery; Gene Editing; Humans; Hyperostosis; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Osteochondrodysplasias; Osteogenesis Imperfecta; Osteopetrosis; Osteoporosis; Syndactyly
PubMed: 33162933
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.556610