SOXC are critical regulators of adult bone mass

Pivotal in many ways for human health, the control of adult bone mass is governed by complex, incompletely understood crosstalk namely between mesenchymal stem cells, osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The SOX4, SOX11 and SOX12 (SOXC) transcription factors were previously shown to control many developmental processes, including skeletogenesis, and SOX4 was linked to osteoporosis, but how SOXC control adult bone mass remains unknown. Using SOXC loss- and gain-of-function mouse models, we show here that SOXC redundantly promote prepubertal cortical bone mass strengthening whereas only SOX4 mitigates adult trabecular bone mass accrual in early adulthood and subsequent maintenance. SOX4 favors bone resorption over formation by lowering osteoblastogenesis and increasing osteoclastogenesis. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals its prevalent expression in Lepr+ mesenchymal cells and ability to upregulate genes for prominent anti-osteoblastogenic and pro-osteoclastogenic factors, including interferon signaling-related chemokines, contributing to these adult stem cells’ secretome. SOXC, with SOX4 predominantly, are thus key regulators of adult bone mass.