New Insights Into Osteoclast Biology.

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells that are characterized by their unique ability to resorb large quantities of bone. Therefore, they are frequently the target of therapeutic interventions to ameliorate bone loss. In an adult organism, osteoclasts derive from hematopoietic stem cells and differentiate into osteoclasts within a multistep process under the influence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL).