Dr. Paola Divieti Pajevic is an Associate Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at Boston University, and the Director of the Bone Cell Core at MGH.

Abstract:

Over the past decades, osteocytes, the bone cells deeply embedded into the mineralized bone, have emerged as mechano-sensors of bone and master regulators of skeletal homeostasis. This seminar will summarize latest research and progress made in understanding osteocyte mechanobiology and critically reviews tools currently available to study these cells.

Increased mechanical forces promote bone formation, whereas decreased loading is always associated with bone loss and skeletal fragility. Recent studies identified cilia, integrins, calcium channels and G-protein coupled receptors as important sensors of mechanical forces and Ca²⁺ and cAMP signaling as key effectors. Among transcripts regulated by mechanical forces, sclerostin and RANKL have emerged as potential therapeutic targets for disuse-induced bone loss