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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2018 Jan 11;14(3):146–156. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2017.213

Figure 5. The effects of tissue-specific RANKL on bone and the immune system.

Figure 5

Sex hormone deficiency induces aberrant osteoclastogenesis owing to a lack | of inhibition provided by oestrogen. Increased levels of osteoclastogenesis lead to enhanced osteoblastic activity via coupling, a homeostatic process in which bone resorption and new bone formation are temporally and spatially coordinated, which results in the production of chemokines and cytokines that increase the generation of B cells. B cell derived receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) can further enhance osteoclastogenesis. CXCL12, CXC motif chemokine 12.