Bonewald Lab

The research lab of Lynda Bonewald, PhD, focuses on the biology and function of the osteocyte.

Investigators in this lab have two major focus areas: the crosstalk between osteocyte and muscle and the role of the osteocyte in calcium homeostasis under calcium demanding conditions.

Active Research

Osteocyte Regulation of Bone Muscle with Age

Muscle secretes factors that maintain osteocyte viability and function, and conversely osteocytes produce factors that support myogenesis and muscle function. These factors are being identified and their functions characterized.

Extracellular Vesicle Mediated Cell-Cell Communication in Bone

The lab is exploring the role of the osteocyte in calcium homeostasis under calcium demanding conditions such as during pregnancy. The mechanisms by which osteocytes can remove and replace calcium in their microenvironment is being examined. Trainees can learn osteocyte and muscle cell culture, isolation of primary osteocytes and muscle satellite cells, muscle contractility, application of fluid flow shear stress, mitochondrial imaging, loading and unloading of transgenic animals, in addition to standard molecular approaches and analyses.

Research Funding

Osteocyte Regulation of Bone Muscle with Age- Core A: Administrative Core and Subproject I: Muscle Regulation of Osteoblast/Osteocyte Function in Young compared with Aged Animals. Extracellular Vesicle Mediated Cell-Cell Communication in Bone.
Recent Publications

Jahn K, Kelkar S, Zhao H, Xie Y, Tiede-Lewis LM, Dusevich V, Dallas SL, Bonewald LF. Osteocytes Adicify their Microenvironment in response to PTHrP in vitro and in Lactating Mice in vivo. J Bone Miner Res. 10.1002 PMID: 28470757

Qin Y, Peng Y, Zhao W, Pan J, Ksiezak-Reding H, Cardozo C, Wu Y, Divieti Pajevic P, Bonewald LF, Bauman WA, Qin W. Myostatin Inhibits Osteoblastic Differentiation by Suppressing Osteocyte-derived Exosomal microRNA-218: A Novel Mechanism in Muscle-Bone Communication. J Biol Chem. M116.770941. PMID: 28465350

Bonewald, LF. The Role of Osteocytes in Bone and Nonbone Disease. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 1-18. PMID: 28121126

Vemula H, Kitase Y, Ayon NJ, Bonewald L, Gutheil WG. Gaussian and linear deconvolution of LC-MS/MS chromatograms of the eight aminobutyric acid isomers. Anal Biochem. 516:75-85. PMID: 27771391

Montesi M, Jähn K, Bonewald L, Stea S, Bordini B, Beraudi A. Hypoxia mediates osteocyte ORP150 expression and cell death in vitro. Mol Med Rep. 2016 4248-4254. PMID: 27748851

Farr JN, Fraser DG, Wang H, Jaehn K, Ogrodnik MB, Weivoda MM, Drake MT, Tchkonia T, LeBrasseur NK, Kirkland JL, Bonewald LF, Pignolo RJ, Monroe DG, Khosla S. Identification of Senescent Cells in the Bone Microenvironment. J Bone Miner Res. 1920-1929. PMID: 27341653

Maurel DB, Duan P, Farr J, Cheng AL, Johnson ML, Bonewald LF. Beta-Catenin Haplo Insufficient Male Mice Do Not Lose Bone in Response to Hindlimb Unloading. PLoS One. 11(7):e0158381. PMID: 27410430

Wacker MJ, Touchberry CD, Silswal N, Brotto L, Elmore CJ, Bonewald LF, Andresen J, Brotto M. Skeletal Muscle, but not Cardiovascular Function, Is Altered in a Mouse Model of Autosomal Recessive Hypophosphatemic Rickets. Front Physiol. 7:173. PMID: 27242547

Duan P, Bonewald LF. The role of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in formation and maintenance of bone and teeth. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 77(Pt A):23-9. PMID: 27210503

Zhao N, Foster BL, Bonewald LF. The Cementocyte-An Osteocyte Relative? J Dent Res. 734-41. PMID: 27029548

For a full list of Dr. Bonewald’s publication history, please find her on Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FNdjsE0AAAAJ&hl=en) or PubMed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bonewald%2C+l)

Faculty Research Team

Lynda F. Bonewald, PhD

Director, Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health

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Yukiko Kitase, PhD

Assistant Research Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology

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Matt Prideaux, PhD

Assistant Research Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology

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