Nine genes identified affecting bone density

In a recent study, Scientists have identified nine genes that are likely to weaken or strengthen bone that may prove quite fruitful in the effective treatment of osteoporosis affecting millions across the globe.

Out of 100 'knockout mice,' with one gene disabled in each one, scientists identified these genes that was seen responsible to weaken or strengthen bone. Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture.

Peter Croucher, professor from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research, with Duncan Bassett and Graham Williams, professor from Imperial College London, and colleagues at the Sanger Institute, carried out the experiment micro-CT and digital x-ray microradiography to measure whether or not each of the first 100 genes impacted upon bone.

"We wanted to see what screening the first 100 knockout mice off the pipeline would tell us about the impact of these genes on bone, and whether or not our approach was an effective one," Croucher was quoted as saying in the journal Public Library of Science Genetics.

"The approach was successful in that we identified nine genes that had not previously been described - each of which appeared to be important in regulating our skeleton. This suggests that roughly 8-10 percent of all genes may be involved in some way," said Croucher, according to a institute statement.

"At the moment, we're trying to understand the potential role of the nine genes we've just identified. Our results suggest that if you were to block some of them, it would result in higher bone mass and stronger bones. We'll be making antibodies to those genes to test our results," he added.

-With inputs from IANS