The periodontal ligament (PDL) is a mechanosensitive noncalcified fibrous tissue connecting the cementum of the tooth and the alveolar bone. Here, we report that scleraxis (Scx) and osterix (Osx) antagonistically regulate tensile force-responsive PDL fibrogenesis and osteogenesis. In the developing PDL, Scx was induced during tooth eruption and co-expressed with Osx. Scx was highly expressed in...

Osterix (Osx) is an essential transcription factor for osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. Osx knockout show a complete absence of bone formation, whereas Osx conditional knockout in osteoblasts produce an osteopenic phenotype after birth. Here, we questioned whether Osx has a potential role in regulating physiological homeostasis. In Osx heterozygotes expressing low levels of Osx in...

Osterix (Osx) is an osteoblast-specific transcription factor required for osteoblast differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells. In Osx knock-out mice, no bone formation occurs. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily that regulates target gene transcription to ensure appropriate control of calcium homeostasis and bone development. Here, we provide ...

Osterix (Osx) is an osteoblast-specific transcription factor which is essential for bone formation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been previously shown to be involved in osteogenesis. However, it is unclear whether Osx is involved in the regulation of miRNA expression. In this study, we have identified groups of miRNAs that are differentially expressed in calvaria of the E18.5 Osx(-/-) embryos compar...

Osterix (Osx/SP7) is a C2H2 zinc finger-containing transcription factor of the SP gene family. Osx knockout mice indicate that the gene plays an essential role in osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. However, the mechanisms involved in the regulation of Osx are still poorly understood. Here, we report a novel post-translational mechanism for the regulation of Osx in mammalian cells. W...

Osterix (Osx) is an osteoblast-specific transcription factor required for bone formation and osteoblast differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells. In Osx-null mice, no bone formation occurs. Matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) is a member of the matrix metalloproteinase family and plays an important role in endochondral ossification and bone remodeling. Transcriptional regulation of MMP13 exp...

Osterix (Osx) is an osteoblast-specific transcription factor required for osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. Osx null mice develop a normal cartilage skeleton but fail to form bone and to express osteoblast-specific marker genes. To better understand the control of transcriptional regulation by Osx, we identified Osx-interacting proteins using proteomics approaches. Here, we report ...

Osterix (Osx) is an essential transcription factor involved in osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. The precise molecular mechanisms of the regulation of Osx expression are not fully understood. In the present study, we found that in cells, both endogenous and exogenous Osx protein increased after treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors Trichostatin A and hydroxamic acid. Meanwh...

Osterix (Osx, Sp7) is a zinc-finger transcription factor belonging to the specificity protein (Sp) family expressed in cells of the osteoblast lineage in the developing skeleton where it regulates expression of a number of osteoblastic genes. We previously reported inhibition of osterix mRNA and protein by parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulation of cAMP in osteoblasts. We here show that Osx expre...

The recent identification of the genes responsible for several human genetic diseases affecting bone homeostasis and the characterization of mouse models for these diseases indicated that canonical Wnt signaling plays a critical role in the control of bone mass. Here, we report that the osteoblast-specific transcription factor Osterix (Osx), which is required for osteoblast differentiation, inh...