Differential expression of genes associated with hypoxia pathway on bone marrow stem cells in osteoporosis patients with different bone mass index

Aging bone loss and osteoporosis (OP) are characterized by decreased bone mass which is caused by the disruption of the balance between bone formation and bone resorption. Studies showed that decreased bone formation was partially caused by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), a common precursor of osteoblasts and bone marrow adipocytes, which inclined to differentiate into adipocytes and caused increased marrow fat. Many factors would affect the BMSC differentiation in bone marrow cavity (1), among which hypoxia inducible factor (HIF), a member of Helix-loop-helix family, is a pivotal one and plays a key role in BMSC differentiation