Osteoclasts are generated from monocyte/macrophage-lineage precursors in response to colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL). CSF-1-mutated CSF-1 op/op mice as well as RANKL −/− mice exhibit osteopetrosis (OP) caused by osteoclast deficiency. We previously identified RANKL receptor (RANK)/CSF-1 receptor (CSF-1R) double-positive cells as osteoclast precursors (OCPs), which existed in bone in RANKL −/− mice. Here we show that OCPs do not exist in bone but in spleen in CSF-1 op/op mice, and spleen acts as their reservoir. IL-34, a newly discovered CSF-1R ligand, was highly expressed in vascular endothelial cells in spleen in CSF-1 op/op mice. Vascular endothelial cells in bone also expressed IL-34, but its expression level was much lower than in spleen, suggesting a role of IL-34 in the splenic generation of OCPs. Splenectomy (SPX) blocked CSF-1-induced osteoclastogenesis in CSF-1 op/op mice. Osteoclasts appeared in aged CSF-1 op/op mice with up-regulation of IL-34 expression in spleen and bone. Splenectomy blocked the age-associated appearance of osteoclasts. The injection of 2-methylene-19-nor-(20S)-1α,25(OH) 2 D 3 (2MD), a potent analog of 1α,25-dihidroxyvitamin D 3 , into CSF-1 op/op mice induced both hypercalcemia and osteoclastogenesis. Administration of 2MD enhanced IL-34 expression not only in spleen but also in bone through a vitamin D receptor-mediated mechanism. Either splenectomy or siRNA-mediated knockdown of IL-34 suppressed 2MD-induced osteoclastogenesis. These results suggest that IL-34 plays a pivotal role in maintaining the splenic reservoir of OCPs, which are transferred to bone in response to diverse stimuli, in CSF-1 op/op mice. The present study also suggests that the IL-34 gene in vascular endothelial cells is a unique target of vitamin D. CSF-1 is the most potent growth factor for monocytes/macrophages (3), but its synthesis by osteoblasts occurs independently of PTH and 1α,25(OH) 2 D 3 (2). CSF-1 op/op mice cannot produce a functionally active CSF-1 (4), and therefore, exhibit monocytopenia and osteopetrosis (OP) (5, 6). However, several curious phenomena have been observed in CSF-1 op/op mice. First, osteoclasts are totally absent in young CSF-1 op/op mice, but appear in aged CSF-1 op/op mice (7). Second, osteopetrotic characteristics of CSF-1R −/− mice are more severe than those of CSF-1 op/op mice (8). Third, F4/80 + [F4/80(+)] macrophages exist in the splenic red pulp in CSF-1 op/op mice as well as in WT mice, and their number is regulated by a mechanism independently of CSF-1 (9, 10). Fourth, the administration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) rescues osteopetrosis in CSF-1 op/op mice (11, 12), but VEGF cannot substitute for CSF-1 to induce osteoclast formation in vitro (13).Recently, Lin et al. (14) discovered IL-34, as a new ligand for CSF-1R. The amino acid sequence of IL-34 was quite different from that of CSF-1, but IL-34 promoted macrophage colony formation like CSF-1 did. IL-34 was specifically expressed in splen...