The integrity of the skeleton relies on complex interactions in the bone centered around cells called osteoclasts and osteoblasts.
Osteoclasts tear down aging bone, while osteoblasts work to rebuild it.
When the balance between these cells is disrupted, diseases such as osteoporosis result. In the first project, Avioli, co-investigator Roberto Civitelli, M.D., associate professor of medicine and assistant professor of cell biology and physiology, and research instructor Su Li Cheng, Ph.D., will study the influence of certain receptors on osteoblast movement, growth and other activities. The receptors called integrins allow osteoblasts to attach to the extracellular matrix, a supportive network surrounding bone cells. The investigators will determine how specific integrins influence osteoblast activity by serving as biological switches that turn on internal signals regulating cell behavior. Keith Hruska, M.D., Ira M. Lang Professor of Nephrology and associate professor of cell biology and physiology, will lead a second project to determine if integrins stimulate osteoblasts to build bone as a result of physical activity.