Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42110952›Full record

ArticleJournal of orthopaedic translation2026

Telomerase reverse transcriptase mediates bone formation for osteoporosis via activating BMP4/Smad1 pathway.

Jinjin Ma, Xiaonan Yuan, Yao Xiao, Huan Wang, Youzhi Hong, Yang Zhang, Yuan Chen, Houfeng Zheng, Jiaying Li, Bin Li

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of orthopaedic translation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jinjin MaMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China.
Xiaonan YuanMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China.
Yao XiaoMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China.
Huan WangMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China.
Youzhi HongMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China.
Yang ZhangClinical Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China.
Yuan ChenMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China.
Houfeng ZhengCenter for Health and Data Science (CHDS), the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215005, China.
Jiaying LiMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China.
Bin LiMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The role of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in bone metabolism remains poorly defined. This study investigates its function in osteoporosis (OP) pathogenesis and its therapeutic potential. Methods: TERT expression was analyzed in clinical OP specimens and ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Mechanisms were probed using RNA-seq, gain/loss-of-function studies, and pathway inhibition. Exosomes derived from TERT-overexpressing BMSCs (TERT-Exo) were functionalized with a bone-targeting aptamer (Apt-TERT-Exo) and evaluated in OVX mice. Results: TERT was downregulated in OP, correlating with impaired osteogenesis. TERT was identified as a novel upstream activator of the BMP4/Smad1 pathway, essential for its pro-osteogenic effect. Apt-TERT-Exo exhibited enhanced bone accumulation and systemic administration effectively restored trabecular bone mass in OVX mice by promoting BMSC osteogenesis. Conclusion: TERT is a novel upstream regulator of osteogenesis via BMP4/Smad1. The Apt-TERT-Exo platform represents a promising targeted, cell-free therapeutic approach for osteoporosis. The translational potential statement: The Translational Potential of this Article.The Apt-TERT-Exo platform presents a targeted, cell-free strategy for osteoanabolic therapy. Its design addresses key translational challenges by enabling precise delivery to bone tissue, potentially minimizing systemic side effects and offering a promising new avenue for treating osteoporosis.

Indexed as

BMP4/Smad1 signalingBone-targeting aptamerDrug deliveryExosomeOsteoporosisTelomerase reverse transcriptase

Identifiers

PMID42110952
PMCPMC13157038

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.