Oncology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Oncology, including details on cancer, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy.

Key roles of the OPG-RANK-RANKL system in bone oncology.

Baud'huin M, Duplomb L, Ruiz Velasco C, Fortun Y, Heymann D, Padrines M

Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, Laboratoire de Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, EA3822, Nantes, F-44035 France. marc.baud-huin@etu.univ-nantes.fr

Osteoprotegerin (OPG)-receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB (RANK) and RANK ligand (RANKL) have been identified as members of a ligand-receptor system that directly regulates osteoclast differentiation and osteolysis. RANKL may be a powerful inducer of bone resorption through its interaction with RANK, and OPG is a soluble decoy receptor that acts as a strong inhibitor of osteoclastic differentiation. Any dysregulation of their respective expression leads to pathological conditions. Furthermore, recent data demonstrate that the OPG-RANK-RANKL system modulates cancer cell migration, thus controlling the development of bone metastases. This review describes the most recent knowledge on the OPG-RANK-RANKL system, its involvement in bone oncology and the new therapeutic approaches based on this molecular triad.

Published 9 February 2007 in Expert Rev Anticancer Ther, 7(2): 221-32.
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