PLoS Genetics (Dec 2020)

Mouse mutant phenotyping at scale reveals novel genes controlling bone mineral density.

  • Anna L Swan,
  • Christine Schütt,
  • Jan Rozman,
  • Maria Del Mar Muñiz Moreno,
  • Stefan Brandmaier,
  • Michelle Simon,
  • Stefanie Leuchtenberger,
  • Mark Griffiths,
  • Robert Brommage,
  • Piia Keskivali-Bond,
  • Harald Grallert,
  • Thomas Werner,
  • Raffaele Teperino,
  • Lore Becker,
  • Gregor Miller,
  • Ala Moshiri,
  • John R Seavitt,
  • Derek D Cissell,
  • Terrence F Meehan,
  • Elif F Acar,
  • Christopher J Lelliott,
  • Ann M Flenniken,
  • Marie-France Champy,
  • Tania Sorg,
  • Abdel Ayadi,
  • Robert E Braun,
  • Heather Cater,
  • Mary E Dickinson,
  • Paul Flicek,
  • Juan Gallegos,
  • Elena J Ghirardello,
  • Jason D Heaney,
  • Sylvie Jacquot,
  • Connor Lally,
  • John G Logan,
  • Lydia Teboul,
  • Jeremy Mason,
  • Nadine Spielmann,
  • Colin McKerlie,
  • Stephen A Murray,
  • Lauryl M J Nutter,
  • Kristian F Odfalk,
  • Helen Parkinson,
  • Jan Prochazka,
  • Corey L Reynolds,
  • Mohammed Selloum,
  • Frantisek Spoutil,
  • Karen L Svenson,
  • Taylor S Vales,
  • Sara E Wells,
  • Jacqueline K White,
  • Radislav Sedlacek,
  • Wolfgang Wurst,
  • K C Kent Lloyd,
  • Peter I Croucher,
  • Helmut Fuchs,
  • Graham R Williams,
  • J H Duncan Bassett,
  • Valerie Gailus-Durner,
  • Yann Herault,
  • Ann-Marie Mallon,
  • Steve D M Brown,
  • Philipp Mayer-Kuckuk,
  • Martin Hrabe de Angelis,
  • IMPC Consortium

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009190
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 12
p. e1009190

Abstract

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The genetic landscape of diseases associated with changes in bone mineral density (BMD), such as osteoporosis, is only partially understood. Here, we explored data from 3,823 mutant mouse strains for BMD, a measure that is frequently altered in a range of bone pathologies, including osteoporosis. A total of 200 genes were found to significantly affect BMD. This pool of BMD genes comprised 141 genes with previously unknown functions in bone biology and was complementary to pools derived from recent human studies. Nineteen of the 141 genes also caused skeletal abnormalities. Examination of the BMD genes in osteoclasts and osteoblasts underscored BMD pathways, including vesicle transport, in these cells and together with in silico bone turnover studies resulted in the prioritization of candidate genes for further investigation. Overall, the results add novel pathophysiological and molecular insight into bone health and disease.