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New developments in osteoimmunology

Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume 8, pages 684–689 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Investigations into interactions between the skeletal and immune systems were developed during research into arthritis, with characterization of T-cell-mediated regulation of osteoclastogenesis. A new interdisciplinary field—osteoimmunology—was created, and has since expanded to encompass disciplines including signal transduction, stem cell niches and fundamental immunology. We have witnessed rapid progress in understanding the mechanisms of bone damage in arthritis and the roles of immune molecules in bone, but comparatively less evidence has been provided for the role of bone-derived factors in the immune system. Nevertheless, regulation of immune cells, including haematopoietic stem cells, by bone cells is now a hot topic in this field. Here, I discuss recent advances in osteoimmunology and emerging avenues of basic and clinical investigation.

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Figure 1: Mechanisms of bone destruction in autoimmune arthritis.
Figure 2: HSC maintenance in the bone marrow.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank T. Nakashima, A. Terashima, N. Komatsu, M. Guerrini and K. Okamoto for providing helpful discussions and assistance during preparation of this manuscript. This work was supported in part by a grant for ERATO, the Takayanagi Osteonetwork Project from the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Hiroshi Takayanagi

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The author declares no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Table 1

Skeletal phenotypes caused by genetic deficiencies in immunomodulatory molecules in mice (DOC 66 kb)

Supplementary Table 2

Immunological phenotypes relevant to rheumatic diseases caused by genetic deficiencies in bone-regulatory molecules (DOC 54 kb)

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Takayanagi, H. New developments in osteoimmunology. Nat Rev Rheumatol 8, 684–689 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2012.167

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