Blocking MicroRNAs To Prevent Osteoporosis

Targeting the microRNA miR-214-3p, which is found at elevated levels in elderly females, could help to treat osteoporosis.

AsianScientist (Mar. 31, 2016) – Researchers from the Hong Kong Baptist University have identified a microRNA (miRNA) naturally produced by bone cells which inhibits bone growth. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a common disease which makes bones become brittle and leads to a higher risk of breaks than in normal bone. The leading cause of broken bones among the elderly, it is known as the silent disease because you rarely know you have it until you actually break a bone. Osteoporosis occurs when bones lose minerals such as calcium more quickly than the body can replace them, causing a loss of bone thickness.

To better understand the cellular mechanisms of bone loss, a team of researchers focused on two types of cells: bone-resorbing osteoclasts which break down bone; and bone-forming osteoblasts that regularly cross-talk within the body.

“Bone remodelling is regulated by these two types of cells that communicate with each other in several ways,” said study co-author Xu Jiake, a professor at the University of Western Australia.

“One classic way that they do this is by making a protein, then secreting it and binding it to the receptor of another cell, or through cell-to-cell contact.”

Apart from the traditional protein-based cell signaling, the researchers found that osteoclasts could also produce, small sac-like structures containing miRNAs that could communicate with other cells.

“We’ve discovered the osteoclasts can send a message to osteoblasts about inhibiting bone growth, so if we could find a way to manipulate this to instead promote bone growth it could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis,” he said.



The article can be found at: Li et al. (2016) Osteoclast-Derived Exosomal miR-214-3p Inhibits Osteoblastic Bone Formation.

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Source: University of Western Australia; Photo: Shutterstock.
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