Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Bucay N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC316769 | biostudies-literature | 1998 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Genes & development 19980501 9
Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a secreted protein that inhibits osteoclast formation. In this study the physiological role of OPG is investigated by generating OPG-deficient mice. Adolescent and adult OPG-/- mice exhibit a decrease in total bone density characterized by severe trabecular and cortical bone porosity, marked thinning of the parietal bones of the skull, and a high incidence of fractures. These findings demonstrate that OPG is a critical regulator of postnatal bone mass. Unexpectedly, OPG- ...[more]