Compositions and methods of use for osteoclast inhibitory factors

摘要

It has been found that two proteins produced by human osteoclasts inhibit osteoclast formation in bone marrow cultures and inhibit bone resorption in a fetal long bone assay. One of the proteins is identical to an Ly6 gene family protein and homologous to the Sca2 antigen, Ly6A. The second, OIP-2, is a novel protein not previously identified. The discovery of the osteoclast inhibition property of the OIP proteins suggests the therapeutic potential for patients with disordered osteoclast activity in such conditions as osteoporosis.