ReviewFoundationDendritic-cell-derived osteoclasts: a new game changer in bone-resorption-associated diseases

- Bone-destruction-associated diseases are mediated by the immune system.
- Osteoclasts, the bone resorbing cells, act upon the influence of inflammatory mediators.
- Dendritic cells have been highlighted as crucial osteoclast providers upon inflammatory conditions.
- Understanding the role of dendritic-cell-derived osteoclasts in bone inflammatory diseases could lead to therapeutic strategies.

Bone-resorbing cells, osteoclasts (OCs), and antigen-presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs), share several features. They are derived from a common hematopoietic precursor, exhibit phagocytic activities and their functions are dependent upon receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL). Upon inflammatory conditions, DCs can transdifferentiate toward functional OCs in the presence of RANKL. It has then been assumed that the increase in proinflammatory cytokines could provide a supportive environment for this transdifferentiation. In this review, we emphasize the molecular mechanisms underlying the potential for DCs to give rise to resorbing OCs in the context of bone-destruction-associated diseases upon inflammatory conditions. Whether these mechanisms reveal new strategies for the discovery of therapeutic targets and drugs is discussed extensively.