Epigenetic regulation of osteoclast differentiation.

Tetsuro Yasui, Jun Hirose, Hiroyuki Aburatani, Sakae Tanaka

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2011 Dec

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Recent studies have uncovered that epigenetic regulation, such as histone methylation and acetylation, plays a critical role in determining cell fate. In particular, the expression of key developmental genes tends to be regulated by trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) and lysine 27 (H3K27me3). Osteoclasts are primary cells for bone resorption, and their differentiation is tightly regulated by the receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) and a transcription factor nuclear factor-activated T cell (NFAT) c1. We found that RANKL-induced NFATc1 expression is associated with the demethylation of H3K27me3. Jumonji domain containing-3, a H3K27 demethylase, is induced in bone marrow-derived macrophages in response to RANKL stimulation and may play a critical role in the demethylation of H3K27me3 in the Nfatc1 gene. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

Citation

Tetsuro Yasui, Jun Hirose, Hiroyuki Aburatani, Sakae Tanaka. Epigenetic regulation of osteoclast differentiation. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2011 Dec;1240:7-13