Human Molecular Genetics Advance Access originally published online on April 27, 2006
Human Molecular Genetics 2006 15(12):1938-1948; doi:10.1093/hmg/ddl116
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Atm-deficient mice: an osteoporosis model with defective osteoblast differentiation and increased osteoclastogenesis


1The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology Proteos, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673, Republic of Singapore and 2Department of Medicine, Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, NY 11501, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +65 65869679; Fax: +65 67791117; Email: libj{at}imcb.a-star.edu.sg
Received September 15, 2005; Accepted April 26, 2006
Atm is a Ser/Thr kinase involved in DNA damage response and is required for genome integrity and stem cell renewal. Here, we report an additional role for Atm in bone remodeling. Atm/ mice showed reduced bone mass, especially at the trabecular bones, accompanied by a decrease in bone formation rate and defective differentiation of osteoblasts, but normal numbers of osteoprogenitor cells and osteoblasts. Atm might affect osteoblast differentiation by modulating the expression of osterix, a lineage-specific transcription factor essential for osteoblast maturation, likely via the bone morphogenetic proteins pathway. Atm/ mice also displayed a marked increase in osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption, although Atm had no cell-autonomous effect on osteoclast differentiation and resorption. Increased osteoclastogenesis could be caused by a substantial reduction in testosterone and estradiol levels in male and female mice, respectively. The steroid hormone deficiency is a result of gonad developmental defects, which led to an increase in serum gonadotrophic hormone, FSH via a feedback regulation. Overall, these results indicate that Atm deficiency leads to osteoporosis mainly as a result of hypogonadism-induced bone resorption together with compromised osteoblast differentiation, and that Atm plays a positive role in regulating expression of osteoblast-specific transcription factor, osterix.
The authors wish it to be known that, in their opinion, the first two authors should be regarded as joint First Authors.
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
S. R. Mayack and A. J. Wagers Osteolineage niche cells initiate hematopoietic stem cell mobilization Blood, August 1, 2008; 112(3): 519 - 531. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
X. Wang, C. H. Goh, and B. Li p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Regulates Osteoblast Differentiation through Osterix Endocrinology, April 1, 2007; 148(4): 1629 - 1637. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||

