{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T13:39:29Z","timestamp":1776433169900,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,11]],"date-time":"2023-08-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1691712000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of Minnesota School of Dentistry"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Myocyte enhancement factor 2C (MEF2C) is a transcription factor studied in the development of skeletal and smooth muscles. Bone resorption studies have exhibited that the reduced expression of MEF2C contributes to osteopetrosis and the dysregulation of pathological bone remodeling. Our current study aims to determine how MEF2C contributes to osteoclast differentiation and to analyze the skeletal phenotype of Mef2c-cKO mice (Cfms-cre; Mef2cfl\/fl). qRT-PCR and Western blot demonstrated that Mef2c expression is highest during the early days of osteoclast differentiation. Osteoclast genes, including c-Fos, c-Jun, Dc-stamp, Cathepsin K, and Nfatc1, had a significant reduction in expression, along with a reduction in osteoclast size. Despite reduced CTX activity, female Mef2c cKO mice were osteopenic, with decreased bone formation as determined via a P1NP ELISA, and a reduced number of osteoblasts. There was no difference between male WT and Mef2c-cKO mice. Our results suggest that Mef2c is critical for osteoclastogenesis, and that its dysregulation leads to a sex-specific osteopenic phenotype.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms241612686","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,11]],"date-time":"2023-08-11T10:20:16Z","timestamp":1691749216000},"page":"12686","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Conditional Loss of MEF2C Expression in Osteoclasts Leads to a Sex-Specific Osteopenic Phenotype"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7335-7284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ravi","family":"Maisuria","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Developmental and Surgical Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrew","family":"Norton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Developmental and Surgical Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cynthia","family":"Shao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8814-5524","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elizabeth W.","family":"Bradley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine and Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2826-5030","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kim","family":"Mansky","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Developmental and Surgical Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25103","DOI":"10.1074\/jbc.R109.041087","article-title":"Cellular and molecular mechanisms of bone remodeling","volume":"285","author":"Raggatt","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. 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