The present invention relates to a method of detecting metabolic bone disorders using a gene expressed at a high level in osteoclasts, a method of screening for a compound effective for treatment and/or prevention of metabolic bone disorders, and a pharmaceutical composition for treatment and/or prevention of metabolic bone disorders. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method of detecting metabolic bone disorders using expression of the human DC-STAMP gene as an indicator, a pharmaceutical composition containing an antibody which is capable of specifically recognizing human DC-STAMP and suppressing formation of osteoclasts, and so forth.
