Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have identified a gene in mice that may have a role in regulating bone mass. The gene, which codes for a protein called Schnurri-3 (Shn3), may be instrumental in developing therapies against osteoporosis. Similar to the NFATc1 protein, Shn3 seems to play a role in the formation of osteoblasts.

Jones, Wein and their colleagues found that Shn3 formed a complex with a protein known as WWP1; together, the pair degrades Runx2, a transcription factor that is the master regulator of osteoblast differentiation, which activates key bone formation genes. By removing Shn3 or WWP1, Runx2 doesn't degrade, which leads to increased bone mass.

The results of the study was published in a recent issue of Science. A overview is available from HSPH's press release.