TAZ And YAP Proteins Control The Growth Of Bones In The Womb
Two proteins, YAP and TAZ , have been found to be regulators of the formation of bone in the womb. Understanding these proteins may help treat genetic disorders such osteogenesis imperfecta, also referred to as “brittle bone disease.” The McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania conducted this small animal study, which was published today in Developmental Cell. The study advances the field of mechanobiology, which examines how mechanical forces affect biology. Despite more than a century of study on the mechanobiology of bone development, the cellular and molecular basis largely has remained a mystery. Here, we identify a new population of cells that are key to turning the body’s early cartilage template into bone, guided by the force-activated gene regulating proteins, YAP and TAZ.” Joel Boerckel, PhD, study’s senior author, associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery Boerckel, the first author of the study, Joseph Colli...