title: Zinc signal: a new player in osteobiology.
abstract: Disturbed zinc (Zn) homeostasis in mammals is mainly characterized by impaired bone generation accompanied with growth retardation. However, the underlying mechanisms that determine how Zn controls bone homeostasis remain to be defined. Zn homeostasis is tightly controlled by Zn transporter families. Recent studies have shown that Zn transporter-mediated Zn ion (Zn(2+)) behaves as a signaling factor, called Zn signal, that exerts a multiple function in cellular events, showing why Zn has a vital effect on mammalian bone growth and regeneration. This perspective put importance on the principal mechanisms of Zn participation in mammalian bone homeostasis, shifting our focus on the role of Zn from simply a nutrient to a signaling molecule that fine-tunes intracellular signaling events.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cytokine Signaling, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, 230-0045, Japan. fukada@rcai.riken.jp
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukada
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hojyo
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furuichi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010012:Osteogenesis; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015032:Zinc