Osteoblasts and chondrocytes arise from common osteo-chondroprogenitor cells. We show here that inactivation of ERK1 and ERK2 in osteo-chondroprogenitor cells causes a block in osteoblast differentiation and leads to ectopic chondrogenic differentiation in the bone-forming region in the perichondrium. Furthermore, increased mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in mesenchymal cells enhances osteoblast differentiation and inhibits chondrocyte differentiation. These observations indicate that extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2 play essential roles in the lineage specification of mesenchymal cells. The inactivation of ERK1 and ERK2 resulted in reduced beta-catenin expression, suggesting a role for canonical Wnt signaling in ERK1 and ERK2 regulation of skeletal lineage specification. Furthermore, inactivation of ERK1 and ERK2 significantly reduced RANKL expression, accounting for a delay in osteoclast formation. Thus, our results indicate that ERK1 and ERK2 not only play essential roles in the lineage specification of osteo-chondroprogenitor cells but also support osteoclast formation in vivo.The extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK MAPK) pathway is activated by various stimuli, including a number of growth factors and cytokines. The activation of the Raf members of MAPK kinase kinase leads to the activation of the MAPK kinase, MEK1, and MEK2. MEK1 and MEK2 then phosphorylate and activate MAPK, ERK1, and ERK2. ERK1 and ERK2 phosphorylate various cytoplasmic and nuclear target proteins, ranging from cytoplasmic adaptor proteins and transcription factors to kinases, including ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) (4,17,18,23,36,46). In this pathway, multiple mutations that cause syndromes with various skeletal manifestations have recently been identified. Missense-activating mutations in KRAS, BRAF, MEK1, and MEK2 have been identified in Costello, Noonan, LEOPARD, and Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndromes, while loss-of-function mutations in RSK2, a kinase downstream of ERK1 and ERK2, cause Coffin-Lowry syndrome (2, 42). These observations highlight the importance of the ERK MAPK pathway in human skeletal development.Both chondrocytes and osteoblasts arise from common osteo-chondro progenitor cells. Bone growth is achieved through two major ossification processes, endochondral ossification and intramembranous ossification, in which chondrocytes and osteoblasts are involved (5,13,30,31,38). In normal endochondral ossification, the skeletal element is formed as a cartilaginous template that is subsequently replaced by bone. Condensed mesenchymal cells differentiate into chondrocytes. Chondrocytes first proliferate in columnar stacks to form the growth plate and then exit the cell cycle and differentiate into hypertrophic chondrocytes. Hypertrophic chondrocytes are removed by apoptotic cell death, and the cartilaginous matrix is resorbed by chondroclasts/osteoclasts and replaced by trabecular bone. Chondroclast/osteoclast formation is supported by receptor activator of nucl...