Researchers provide new understanding on bone diseases

Tokyo [Japan], February 10 (ANI): Diseases of the bones and joints are becoming more common among today’s elderly.

For example, roughly 12 million people in Japan suffer from osteoporosis , a condition that causes substantial bone weakness and fragility.

Understanding the basic processes that maintain bone and joint tissue is a critical first step toward developing effective treatments for these diseases.

Osteoclasts are a type of cell that plays a crucial role in bone maintenance. These cells absorb and break down old or broken bones, letting the body reuse key elements such as calcium and creating space for new bones.

As one may assume, many bone diseases develop when osteoclasts do not perform their functions adequately. Scientists are exploring the processes that control the proliferation and differentiation of precursor cells into osteoclasts.

Interestingly, in a study published in 2020, researchers from Tokyo University of Science (TUS) led by Professor Tadayoshi Hayata revealed that the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein 4 (Cpeb4) protein is essential in osteoclast differentiation.

They also discovered that this protein, which regulates the stability and translation of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, was transported into specific structures within the nucleus of the cell when osteoclast differentiation was induced.

However, just how this relocation occurs and what Cpeb4 exactly does within these nuclear structures remains a mystery.