Osteoimmune interactions in inflammatory bowel disease: Central role of bone marrow Th17 TNFα cells in osteoclastogenesis

Abstract

Osteoimmunology is an interdisciplinary research field dedicated to the study of the crosstalk between the immune and bone systems. CD4+ T cells are central players in this crosstalk. There is an emerging understanding that CD4+ T cells play an important role in the bone marrow (BM) under physiological and pathological conditions and modulate the differentiation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. However, identification of the mechanisms that maintain CD4+ T cells in the BM is still a matter of investigation. This article describes the CD4+ T cell populations of the BM and reviews their role as osteoclastogenic population in inflammatory bowel disease.