In Vitro Models -- Isolation and Culture of Rodent Osteoprogenitor Cells -- Osteoclast Culture and Resorption Assays -- Assessing New Bone Formation in Neonatal Calvarial Organ Cultures -- Detection of Apoptosis of Bone Cells In Vitro -- In Vivo Rodent Models -- In Vivo Parathyroid Hormone Treatments and RNA Isolation and Analysis -- Assessment of Bone Formation Capacity Using In vivo Transplantation Assays: Procedure and Tissue Analysis -- Ossicle and Vossicle Implant Model Systems -- Utility of the Ovariectomized Rat as a Model for Human Osteoporosis in Drug Discovery -- Orchidectomy Models of Osteoporosis -- Methods of Gene Delivery -- Gene Delivery by Adenoviruses -- Lentivirus Delivery of shRNA Constructs into Osteoblasts -- Gene Delivery by Retroviruses -- Molecular and Genetic Techniques -- Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assays: Application of ChIP-on-Chip for Defining Dynamic Transcriptional Mechanisms in Bone Cells -- Identification of Transcription Factor Target Genes by ChIP Display -- Application of the Laser Capture Microdissection Technique for Molecular Definition of Skeletal Cell Differentiation In Vivo -- Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping -- Imaging Techniques -- In Situ Nuclear Organization of Regulatory Machinery -- Bioluminescent Imaging in Bone -- Micro-Computed Tomography: A Method for the Non-Destructive Evaluation of the Three-Dimensional Structure of Biological Specimens -- Fourier Transform-Infrared Microspectroscopy and Microscopic Imaging -- Mechanical Testing -- Assessment of the In Vivo Adaptive Response to Mechanical Loading -- Determination of Bone's Mechanical Matrix Properties by Nanoindentation -- Fluid Flow Assays.

In recent years, the study of bone cells and tissues at the cellular and molecular levels in a variety of models has revolutionized the field. In Osteoporosis: Methods and Protocols, leading scientists from around the world share their step-by-step laboratory protocols for studying bone biology. The topics covered in this volume include in vitro models, in vivo models utilized for drug testing, tissue engineering and osteoporosis studies in either gender, state-of-the-art molecular techniques to assess single genes or for global genomic analysis, powerful imaging techniques, and many more. As a volume in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series, each chapter provides a brief introduction, a list of necessary materials, and a Notes section detailing tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Osteoporosis: Methods and Protocols is the perfect guide for both new and experienced experimentalists attempting to study the devastating silent disease known as osteoporosis.