Immunology & Immunogenetics

Osteoimmunology

Osteoimmunology is a new study between the immune system, the hemopoietic system and bone. Osteoimmunology is a field that studies a treatment or prevention of the bone related diseases caused by disorders of the immune system. The cells of the immune system which regulate the bone cells and the hemopoietic function are T lymphocytes. These cells secrete inflammatory cytokines that promote bone resorption, as well as Wnt ligands that stimulate the bone formation. In addition, T cells regulate bone homeostasis by cross talking with BM stromal cells and osteoblastic cells via CD40 ligand (CD40L) and other stimulatory molecules. This research on the immune cells is relevant to bone and the hemopoietic function, reviews the role of lymphocytes as mediators of  the effects of PTH and estrogen in bone and the hemopoietic system and discusses the implication of osteoimmunology for transplant medicine. Mechanism between the two systems in vertebrates, including ligands, receptors, signalling  molecules and transcription factors are included. Osteoimmunology has been investigated clinically for the treatment of bone metastases, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoporosis and periodontitis. Scientific study in osteoimmunology reveals the relationships between molecular communication among blood cells and structural pathologies in the body.