title: The osteoprotegerin/RANK/RANKL system: a bone key to vascular disease.
abstract: Osteoporosis and atherosclerosis are degenerative disorders of old age that often present together, but recently it has been suggested that the association between osteoporosis and cardio-vascular diseases is not just due to the aging process. The osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB (RANK)/RANK ligand (RANKL) system has been identified as a possible mediator of arterial calcification suggesting common links between osteoporosis and vascular diseases. Since the discovery of the OPG/RANK/RANKL system, much has been learned about its role in controlling skeletal biology; however, its role in the context of vascular biology is only beginning to be explored. It has been suggested that OPG might act as an autocrine/paracrine regulator of vascular calcification and might be useful as a serum marker of vascular disease. However, the exact role of OPG (or RANKL/RANK) in vascular calcification is still not completely understood. This review aims to report the recent findings on the relationship between osteoporosis and OPG/RANK/RANKL-mediated vascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Medical Disciplines, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. patrizia.damelio@unito.it
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Amelio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Isaia
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Isaia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053244:Osteoprotegerin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D053245:RANK Ligand / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B