TNFRSF11B/OPG was initially identified by sequence homology as a member of the TNFR superfamily during a fetal rat intestine cDNA-sequencing project. Also, this protein was identified in the conditioned medium of human embryonic lung fibroblasts. The mouse and human proteins are 85% and 94% identical to the predicted rat protein, respectively, indicating that the OSP gene has been highly conserved throughout evolution. TNDRSF11B is a soluble protein that acts as a decoy receptor for TNFSF11/RANKL. OPG also binds to and inactivates TNFSF10/TRAIL that promotes immune cancer surveillance. In addition, TRAIL binds to decoy receptors 1 (DcR1) and 2 (DcR2). OPG binds with high-affinity to RANKL and with low- affinity to TRAIL. OPG regulates B cell maturation and development of efficient Ab responses. Hepatic expression of this gene in transgenic mice induces a non-lethal osteopetrosis. OPG inhibits the RANKL/RANK interaction, reducing the maturation and bone degrading capacity of osteoclasts. In vitro, osteoclast differentiation is also blocked by OPG. Human mutations in OPG have been associated with juvenile Paget’s disease, an autosomal recessively inherited osteopathy. The RANK–RANKL–OPG axis is also important in the lactating breast, the thermo-regulatory system, and regulation of tumor cell migration to the bone.
Size
500 μg
Concentration
n/a
Applications
BA
Other Names
Osteoprotegerin (OPG), Osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF), TR1, and follicular DC-derived receptor-1 (FDCR-1), and TNF receptor superfamily member 11b