PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Brown, Edward M. AU - Lian, Jane B. TI - New Insights in Bone Biology: Unmasking Skeletal Effects of the Extracellular Calcium–Sensing Receptor AID - 10.1126/scisignal.135pe40 DP - 2008 Sep 02 TA - Science Signaling PG - pe40--pe40 VI - 1 IP - 35 4099 - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/1/35/pe40.short 4100 - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/1/35/pe40.full SO - Sci. Signal.2008 Sep 02; 1 AB - Experiments performed in mice in which expression of the extracellular calcium–sensing receptor (CaSR) was completely nullified specifically in parathyroid cells, chondrocytes, or cells of the osteoblast lineage have identified phenotypes that indicate a key role for the CaSR in embryonic development of the skeleton, postnatal bone formation, and osteoblast differentiation that are independent of the calcitropic hormone axis. These long-awaited studies further clarify the signaling relationships between the parathyroid gland, kidney, and metabolic bone disease in patients with mutations in the gene encoding the CaSR, and they provide new insights into understanding the signaling pathways involving the CaSR in skeletal cells.