title: The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a critical modulator of skeletal development.
abstract: The extracellular Ca(2+)-sensing receptor (CaSR) plays a nonredundant role in the functions of the parathyroid gland (PTG) and the kidney. Severe hyperparathyroidism, premature death, and incomplete gene excision in Casr(-/-) mice have precluded the assessment of CaSR function in other tissues. We generated mice with tissue-specific deletion of Casr in the PTG, bone, or cartilage. Deletion of Casr in the PTG or bone resulted in profound bone defects, whereas deletion of Casr in chondrocytes (cartilage-producing cells) resulted in death before embryonic day 13 (E13). Mice in which chondrocyte-specific deletion of Casr was induced between E16 and E18 were viable but showed delayed growth plate development. Our data show a critical role for the CaSR in early embryogenesis and skeletal development.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Research Unit, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA. wenhan.chang@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Wenhan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Chialing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Tsui-Hua
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bikle
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shoback