Sharper view gained of osteoporosis development: Intracellular protein discovered
Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - 12:00
in Biology & Nature
In the bones supporting our bodies, calcium regulation occurs by balancing the activities of osteoclasts, which are groups of cells that increase the calcium concentration in blood by destroying bone tissue, and osteoblasts, which are another groups of cells that absorb calcium in blood to store in the bones. This process, called bone metabolism, is largely regulated by hormones, but more recently, the involvement of an intracellular protein named CNOT has been discovered. CNOTs are known for their role in mRNA degradation, in which CNOTs eliminate excess messenger RNA (mRNA) and inhibit overproduction of proteins in cells. Various studies have been undertaken to investigate whether a deficiency of each CNOT can cause disease.