Osteoimmunology: the study of the relationship between the immune system and bone tissue.

Bone tissue is a highly regulated structure, which plays an essential role in various physiological functions. Through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms, bone tissue is involved in hematopoiesis, influencing the fate of hematopoietic stem cells. There are a number of molecules shared by bone cells and immune system cells indicating that there are multiple connections between the immune system and bone tissue. In order to pool all the knowledge concerning both systems, a new discipline known under the term «osteoimmunology» has been developed. Their progress in recent years has been exponential and allowed us to connect and increase our knowledge in areas not seemingly related such as rheumatoid erosion, postmenopausal osteoporosis, bone metastases or periodontal disease. In this review, we have tried to summarize the most important advances that have occurred in the last decade, especially in those areas of interest related to rheumatology.