Bone Biology
A 72-year-old woman with severe osteoporosis and intolerance to bisphosphonates is being considered for denosumab therapy. Her endocrinologist explains that this medication works by blocking a key signaling pathway essential for osteoclast formation. She has a history of recurrent vertebral compression fractures and a T-score of -3.8 at the lumbar spine. Regarding the RANK-RANKL-OPG signaling pathway:
Mark each as TRUE or FALSE
RANKL (Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Ligand) is produced primarily by osteoblasts and...
OPG (Osteoprotegerin) is a soluble decoy receptor produced by osteoblasts that binds to RANKL and pr...
RANK is expressed exclusively on osteoblasts; RANKL is produced by osteoclasts; OPG promotes bone re...
Denosumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody against RANKL that mimics the action of OPG; it preve...
The RANK-RANKL pathway is implicated in pathological bone conditions including bone metastases (tumo...
Answer the questions to see explanations
Click T (True) or F (False) for each option