A genome-wide association study in mice reveals a role for Rhbdf2 in skeletal homeostasis.

ABSTRACT: Low bone mass and an increased risk of fracture are predictors of osteoporosis. Individuals who share the same bone-mineral density (BMD) vary in their fracture risk, suggesting that microstructural architecture is an important determinant of skeletal strength. Here, we utilized the rich diversity of the Collaborative Cross mice to identify putative causal genes that contribute to the risk of fractures. Using microcomputed tomography, we examined key structural features that pertain to bone quality in the femoral cortical and trabecular compartments of male and female mice. We estimated the broad-sense heritability to be 50-60% for all examined traits, and we identified five quantitative trait loci (QTL) significantly associated with six traits. We refined each QTL by combining information

SUBMITTER: Levy R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7039944 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature