A simple protein may be a key instigator in the breakdown of bone that leads to osteoporosis and several inflammatory joint diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.<\/p>\n
A team of scientists at the 海角直播, led by Pappachan Kolattukudy, conducted a series of experiments with human bone marrow-derived cells. They found the protein MCPIP (Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1 Induced Protein) plays a major role in the formation of osteoclasts, the cell type that\u2019s directly responsible for bone breakdown.<\/p>\n
Kolattukudy\u2019s findings are published in today\u2019s issue of the <\/p>\n
About one in five American women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis, a disease that thins bone tissue and causes loss of bone density, leading to a higher risk of fractures.<\/p>\n
Rheumatoid arthritis affects about 1.3 million Americans every year. It is caused by joint inflammation, and researchers now suspect the disease also begins damaging bone during its first year.<\/p>\n
The protein – MCPIP – is linked to both.<\/p>\n
Kolattukudy and his team first identified MCPIP in 2006 when they discovered that the protein contributes to heart disease. Three years later, they found that MCPIP also plays a role in controlling the body\u2019s fat-building process and new blood vessel formation.<\/p>\n
This latest research shows that MCIP also is linked to inflammation, which disrupts a body\u2019s proper balance and leads to bone and other health problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cBone loss (by osteoclasts) and bone building (by osteoblasts) happen all the time,\u201d Kolattukudy said.\u00a0 \u201cInflammation turns the balance toward bone loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scientists already knew that another protein – Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1 (MCP-1) – played a role in the development of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone.<\/p>\n
But Kolattukudy\u2019s lab has now found that MCPIP is a key player in controlling whether cells build or lose bone. This discovery opens up potential new therapeutic targets for fighting the debilitating diseases caused by bone loss.<\/p>\n
Kolattukudy, director of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences at UCF led a team that also includes Kangkai Wang, Jianli Niu and Hyunbae Kim all of UCF.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A simple protein may be a key instigator in the breakdown of bone that leads to osteoporosis and several inflammatory joint diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. A team of scientists at the 海角直播, led by Pappachan Kolattukudy, conducted a series of experiments with human bone marrow-derived cells. They found the protein MCPIP (Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1 Induced Protein)…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":28734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[653,3613],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-28733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-technology","tag-burnett-school-of-biomedical-sciences","tag-pappachan-kolattukudy"],"yoast_head":"\n