Figure 2.

Regulation of osteoclast formation and activity. In physiologic remodeling, activation of bone resorption requires contact between cells of the osteoblast and osteoclast lineages. M-CSF, which may be either membrane bound or secreted, interacts with its receptor, c-fms, to stimulate differentiation and proliferation of hematopoietic progenitors, which then express RANK as preosteoclasts. Osteoclast differentiation and activity are stimulated by RANK/RANKL interaction, and this interaction can be blocked by soluble OPG. Bone-resorbing factors can also stimulate COX2 activity, which may amplify responses to RANKL and OPG by producing prostaglandins. In pathologic conditions, inflammatory and malignant cells can increase osteoclastogenesis by producing soluble or membrane-bound M-CSF and RANKL as well as PTH-related protein (PTHrP), cytokines, and prostaglandins.