Expression of osteogenic factors in FasL-deficient calvarial cells.

During bone development, FasL acts not only through the traditional apoptotic mechanism regulating the amount of bone-resorbing osteoclasts, but there is also growing evidence about its effect on cell differentiation. Expression of osteoblastic factors was followed in non differentiated and differentiating primary calvarial cells obtained from FasL-deficient (gld) mice. The gld cells showed decreased expression of the key osteoblastic molecules osteocalcin (Ocn), osteopontin (Opn), and alkaline phosphatase (Alpl) in both groups.