Regulation of endochondral ossification by transcription factors

Abstract

Endochondral ossification is temporospatially regulated by several growth factors, cytokines, and hormones that control their downstream signaling pathways and specific transcription factors. Genetic studies have identified several transcription factors necessary for endochondral ossification, including Sox9 family members, Runx2 family members, and Osterix. In addition, biochemical investigation has demonstrated how these transcription factors regulate endochondral ossification. Importantly, these transcription factors form a complex but harmonized network system during endochondral ossification. We recently demonstrated the multi-functional role of Sox9 in endochondral ossification. Moreover, we found that the Runx2-Osterix linkage was critical for endochondral ossification.