Osteoarticular-immunological Interplay in Response to Disease and Therapy

  • 15k

    Total Downloads

  • 45k

    Total Views and Downloads

Download PDFDownload EPUB

Submit your idea

Select the journal/section where you want your idea to be submitted:

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

The bone is, in contrast to common belief, a highly dynamic organ that undergoes constant remodeling and regeneration. In general, bone remodeling is a crucial and complex process for many skeletal processes and for the conservation of a healthy skeletal structure with particular importance during bone growth, tooth eruption, and fraction healing but also for the upkeep of blood calcium levels. Next to the bone cells- osteoclasts for bone resorption, osteoblasts for bone secretion and osteocytes as sensors for chemical and mechanical modifications- a plethora of other signals and cells such as those of the immune system or hormones are also involved in these processes.

In a healthy organism, bone formation follows bone resorption and vice versa in an equal degree, but whenever this tightly and balanced system is disrupted, it results in the manifestation of bone disease or defects.
In recent years, the interaction of the immune- and the skeletal system has been looked into in more detail. Here, it becomes increasingly clear that there is a codependence between the immune system and the skeletal system. Bone tissue for example provides developmental niches for hematopoietic stem cells while activated immune cells are involved in healthy bone metabolism, but also in pathological situations, where they can actively contribute to bone loss, as it is seen e.g. in rheumatoid arthritis. Especially in the context of inflammatory (autoimmune) diseases that show a complex immunopathology, which often also affects the joints, bone cells are closely interacting with immune cells, cartilaginous tissue and cells of the synovial membrane. Further, there is a number of surface receptors, cytokines and signaling pathways that are involved in the bone metabolism as well as in the immune system.

In this very complex system, many of the underlying mechanisms are yet to be discovered and it is not surprising that the bone reacts in many ways to external and internal stimuli. Some of these factors are, amongst others, sex, age, inflammatory status, the microenvironment, ionizing radiation, gravitation, or medication.
As all of these aspects are very broadly diversified, it is clear that the skeletal system relies heavily on the precise interplay of the above-mentioned factors as well as the micromilieu, the surrounding tissues, and the immune system. Disruption of this delicate system can lead to unwanted effects (e.g. bone loss and fractures after radiotherapy in cancer disease). Understanding these observations and elucidating the mechanisms behind it can therefore aide in preventing unwanted side effects or can be utilized in the form of targeted therapies in bone diseases.

In this Research Topic, we thus aim to bring together complementary articles that will help to understand the manifold of osteoarticular-immunological mechanisms in response to disease and therapy. Submissions of Original Research and Reviews, as well as Perspective and Opinion articles focusing on the interplay of the bone with the immune system and the surrounding tissue that primarily cover the following topics are welcome:

• Contribution of inflammation to bone metabolism
• Osteoimmunological differences in health and disease
• Influences of external factors (e.g. radiation, gravity, medication) on bone, joints, and immune system
• Modulation of the bone through the immune system
• Mechanisms of bone disease
• Influence of the sex on bone metabolism
• Interplay of immune cells and the skeletal system
• The role of the microenvironment in bone loss and bone build-up
• Role of immunoglobulins in bone metabolism
• Interaction of bone cells with the surrounding tissue
• Osteoarticular mechanisms and infections
• Osteoimmunology of the joint


Dr. Tomcik receives research funding from Arxx Therapeutics. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests.

Keywords: osteoimmunology, bone, microenvironment, inflammation, immune system, joints, immunoglobulins

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 45kTopic views
  • 29kArticle views
  • 15kArticle downloads
View impact