Email

florent.elefteriou@bcm.edu

Positions

Professor

Orthopedic Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Professor

Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine

Associate Director

Center for Skeletal Medicine and Biology
Baylor College of Medicine

Adjunct Associate Professor

Department of Medicine
Vanderbilt University

Member

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine

01/2004 - Houston, Texas United States

Molecular and Human Genetics

PhD from Claude Bernard University

12/1999 - Lyon, France

Professional Interests

• Mechanisms of bone development, remodeling, repair and cancer cell metastasis

Professional Statement

Our research is about deciphering biological mechanisms that control bone development, remodeling, repair and cancer metastasis to identify novel therapeutic strategies that can prevent or treat skeletal diseases.

One main focus of the laboratory is on the etiology of the skeletal maladies observed in individuals with neurofibromatosis type I (NF1). We are particularly interested in the unilateral tibia bowing, fracture non-union and dystrophic scoliosis observed in some of these patients. We use genetic and pharmacological strategies to identify both cell of origin and molecular abnormalities causing these orthopedic conditions, with the goal of designing and testing novel targeted therapeutic strategies to improve bone mass, bone strength and bone repair in children with NF1. These studies also provide critical insights about the role of neurofibromin, the RAS-GAP protein encoded by the NF1 gene, in endochondral bone formation, remodeling and mineralization.

A second major focus area of the laboratory is related to the interaction between the autonomic nervous system and bone cells. Autonomic nerves regulate body involuntary functions such as heart rate or breathing, but also the process of bone remodeling. Our current emphasis is on determining the role of the endogenous sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the regulation of bone homeostasis, and on addressing the biological and clinical relevance of these preclinical findings. This leads us to study the role of the norepinephrine transporter and conditions including bone aging, chronic stress, depression and their impact on bone remodeling and skeletal breast cancer metastasis.

A third active line of research in the laboratory revolves around the biology of chondrocytes, the cells of cartilaginous tissues that allow bone elongation during development and protection of joint articular surfaces in adults. Through our focus on the transcription factor TonEBP/Nfat5, we investigate how chondrocytes survive and function in their hyper osmotic, avascular and mechanically loaded environment.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Couasnay G, Madel MB, Lim J, Lee B, Elefteriou F "Sites of Cre-recombinase activity in mouse lines targeting skeletal cells.." J Bone Miner Res.2021;:
• Ma Y, Gross AM, Dombi E, (...), Widemann BC, Rios JJ, Elefteriou F "A molecular basis for neurofibroma-associated skeletal manifestations in NF1.." Genet Med..2020;22:1786-1793.
• Ma Y, Elefteriou F "Brain-Derived Acetylcholine Maintains Peak Bone Mass in Adult Female Mice.." J Bone Miner Res.2020;35:1562-1571.
• Zhu Y, Ma Y, Elefteriou F "Cortical bone is an extraneuronal site of norepinephrine uptake in adult mice.." Bone Rep..2018;9:188-198.