That the skeleton “talks back” is a relatively new concept and the subject of intense and exciting research. A new special issue of Calcified Tissue International & Musculoskeletal Research has brought together nine invited reviews that reveal how the skeleton is both a secretory organ and an endocrine target tissue that receives innumerable hormone messages influencing post-natal growth and development as well as homeostasis throughout adult life. 

In the editorial, the special issue editors summarize the importance of this area of research, noting: “Elucidating the secretory networks that mediate communication within bone cell communities and the crosstalk between osseous and non-osseous cell communities is contributing to the rapidly shifting paradigm of skeletal physiology. Priorities include decrypting the messages encoded in these bone cell secretory products in the context of health and disease and understanding the mechanisms that limit bone cell secretory capacity as regards to delivering healthy bone matrix.” 

Journal editors, Professors René Rizzoli and Stuart Ralston, state:

“We would like to thank the authors of these outstanding reviews, and Professors Joseph P. Bidwell, Lynda Bonewald and Alexander Robling for putting together this exclusive compilation of invited reviews which heighten our understanding of the communication between bone cells and other cells in the body. This is crucial for advancing our knowledge of skeletal physiology, with implications for developing new therapeutic strategies for bone-related diseases. We are confident that readers will find these articles both informative and insightful.”

Read and share the following reviews:

• Editorial: Bidwell, J.P., Bonewald, L. & Robling, A.G. The Skeleton as a Secretory Organ. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01106-y
   
• Clinkenbeard, E. Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 Bone Regulation and Downstream Hormonal Activity. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01092-1
   
• Shimonty, A., Bonewald, L.F. & Huot, J.R. Metabolic Health and Disease: A Role of Osteokines?. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01093-0
   
• Plotkin, L.I., Sanz, N. & Brun, L.R. Messages from the Mineral: How Bone Cells Communicate with Other Tissues. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01091-2
   
• Kitase, Y., Prideaux, M. Regulation of the Osteocyte Secretome with Aging and Disease. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01089-w
   
• Fang, CL., Liu, B. & Wan, M. “Bone-SASP” in Skeletal Aging. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01100-4
   
• Karnik, S.J., Nazzal, M.K., Kacena, M.A. et al. Megakaryocyte Secreted Factors Regulate Bone Marrow Niche Cells During Skeletal Homeostasis, Aging, and Disease. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01095-y
   
• Iyer, S., Adams, D.J. Bone and the Unfolded Protein Response: In Sickness and in Health. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01096-x
   
• Korff, C., Atkinson, E., Adaway, M. et al. NMP4, an Arbiter of Bone Cell Secretory Capacity and Regulator of Skeletal Response to PTH Therapy. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01088-x
   
• Reyes Fernandez, P.C., Wright, C.S., Farach-Carson, M.C. et al. Examining Mechanisms for Voltage-Sensitive Calcium Channel-Mediated Secretion Events in Bone Cells. Calcif Tissue Int (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01097-w
   

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About Calcified Tissue International & Musculoskeletal Research
Calcified Tissue International & Musculoskeletal Research is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes original preclinical, translational and clinical research, and reviews concerning the structure and function of bone, and other musculoskeletal tissues in living organisms, as well as clinical studies of musculoskeletal disease. It includes studies of cell biology, molecular biology, intracellular signalling, and physiology, as well as research into the hormones, cytokines and other mediators that influence the musculoskeletal system. The journal also publishes clinical studies of relevance to bone disease, mineral metabolism, muscle function, and musculoskeletal interactions.
2022 Impact Factor: 4.2, 5-Year Impact Factor: 4.1
https://www.springer.com/journal/223
Editors in Chief: Stuart Ralston and René Rizzoli; Musculoskeletal Research Section Editor: Roger Fielding

About IOF
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is the world's largest nongovernmental organization dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases. IOF members, including committees of scientific researchers as well as more than 320 patient, medical and research organizations, work together to make fracture prevention and healthy mobility a worldwide heath care priority. https://www.osteoporosis.foundation @iofbonehealth