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Boning Up On Autophagy: The Role Of Autophagy In Skeletal Biology., Irving Shapiro, Robert Layfield, Martin Lotz, Carmine Settembre, Caroline Whitehouse

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

From an evolutionary perspective, the major function of bone is to provide stable sites for muscle attachment and affording protection of vital organs, especially the heart and lungs (ribs) and spinal cord (vertebrae and intervertebral discs). However, bone has a considerable number of other functions: serving as a store for mineral ions, providing a site for blood cell synthesis and participating in a complex system-wide endocrine system. Not surprisingly, bone and cartilage cell homeostasis is tightly controlled, as is the maintenance of tissue structure and mass. While a great deal of new information is accruing concerning skeletal cell homeostasis, one …