Submit a comment
Abstract
Osteoporosis is a common, age-related bone disease that results from an imbalance between the processes of bone formation and bone resorption, resulting in reduced bone mass and increased risk of fracture. Mesenchymal stem cells have the capacity to differentiate into osteoblastic and adipogenic lineages; recent research suggests that the switch between these two fates may be key to the decreased bone density that occurs with aging. In this issue, Nishikawa et al. demonstrate that the basic leucine-zipper transcription factor Maf (also known as c-Maf) is central to osteoblast lineage commitment. In addition, they find that increased oxidative stress — as occurs with aging — decreases Maf expression. This work advances understanding of the transcriptional regulation of cell fate decisions and may help direct the development of new therapies to fight age-related bone loss.
Authors
Laurie K. McCauley
Guidelines
The Editorial Board will only consider comments that are deemed relevant and of interest to readers. The Journal will not post data that have not been subjected to peer review; or a comment that is essentially a reiteration of another comment.
- Comments appear on the Journal’s website and are linked from the original article’s web page.
- Authors are notified by email if their comments are posted.
- The Journal reserves the right to edit comments for length and clarity.
- No appeals will be considered.
- Comments are not indexed in PubMed.
Specific requirements
- Maximum length, 400 words
- Entered as plain text or HTML
- Author’s name and email address, to be posted with the comment
- Declaration of all potential conflicts of interest (even if these are not ultimately posted); see the Journal’s conflict-of-interest policy
- Comments may not include figures
Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)