With advancing age bone marrow is progressively replaced with adipose tissue,
accompanied by a concomitant decline in bone mass and strength. The mechanism
underlying the increase in marrow fat and bone destruction remains elusive. We found that
on the way of adipogenic differentiation of marrow stromal cells, receptor activator for NF-κB
ligand (Rankl) expression was induced, concomitantly with a down-regulation of
osteoprotegerin, which prompted us to hypothesize that cells at a preadipocyte stage …