Context
The mechanisms of bone remodeling have been studied for years, but the molecular control of osteoblast differentiation and function is much less understood than that of osteoclasts because no adequate murine models exist. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of tob in osteoblast proliferation and differentiation by generatig tob-/- mice.
Tob protein interacts with the ERBB2 gene product p185; its amino terminus is homologous to the antiproliferative gene product BTG1. Overexpressed Tob has been shown to suppress the growth of NIH3T3 cells. The expression of tobhas been observed in various cells, but this is the first about expression in osteoblasts.