Osteoclast differentiation
factor (ODF)

Tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily, member 11 (TNFSF11)
Osteoprotegerin ligand (OPGL)
Receptor activator of NF-KappaB ligand (RANKL)
TNF-related activation-induced cytokine (TRANCE)

Gene: maps to 13q14 (Anderson D.M. et al., 1997) .
mRNA: size: 2.2 kb (Anderson D.M. et al., 1997).
Protein: a member of the TNF ligand family. It is expressed as a membrane-associated protein by osteoblasts/stromal cells. Interaction between ODFR/RANK expressed by osteoclast precursors and ODF/RANKL/OPGL/TRANCE expressed by osteoblasts/stromal cells appears crucial for osteoclast differentiation in the presence of the cytokine M-CSF (Suda T. et al., 1999).

Cell lines:
- The breast cancer cell (BCC) lines MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and T47D as well as primary breast cancers were shown to express OPG and ODFR/RANK, but not ODF/RANKL/OPGL/TRANCE (Thomas R.J. et al., 1999).

Tumors:

Anderson D.M. et al. (1997) A homologue of the TNF receptor and its ligand enhance T-cell growth and dendritic-cell function. Nature 390, 175-179.
Lacey D.L. et al. (1998) Osteoprotegerin ligand is a cytokine that regulates osteoclast differentiation and activation. Cell 93, 165-176.
Suda T. et al. (1999) Modulation of osteoclast differentiation and function by the new members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor and ligand families. Endocr. Rev. 20, 345-357.
Thomas R.J. et al. (1999) Breast cancer cells interact with osteoblasts to support osteoclast formation. Endocrinology 140, 4451-4458.
Wong B.R. et al. (1997) TRANCE is a novel ligand of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family that activates c-Jun N-terminal kinase in T-cells. J. Biol. Chem. 272, 25190-25194.
Yasuda H. et al. (1998) Osteoclast differentiation factor is a ligand for osteoprotegerin/osteoclastogenesis-inhibitory factor and is identical to TRANCE/RANKL. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 3597-3602.