Notch receptors maintain skeletal homeostasis. NOTCH1 and 2 have been studied for their effects on bone remodeling. Although NOTCH3 plays a significant role in vascular physiology, knowledge about its function in other cellular environments, including bone, is limited. The present study was conducted to establish the function of NOTCH3 in skeletal cells using models of
Notch3
misexpression. Microcomputed tomography demonstrated that
Notch3
null mice did not have appreciable bone phenotypes. To study the effects of the NOTCH3 activation in the osteoblast lineage,
BGLAP-Cre
or
Dmp1-Cre
transgenics were crossed with
Rosa
Notch3
mice, where the NOTCH3 intracellular domain is expressed following the removal of a
loxP
-flanked STOP cassette. Microcomputed tomography demonstrated that
BGLAP-Cre;Rosa
Notch3
and
Dmp1-Cre;Rosa
Notch3
mice of both sexes exhibited an increase in trabecular bone and in connectivity, with a decrease in cortical bone and increased cortical porosity. Histological analysis revealed a decrease in osteoclast number and bone resorption in trabecular bone and an increase in osteoclast number and void or pore area in cortical bone of
Rosa
Notch3
mice. Bone formation was either decreased or could not be determined in
Cre;Rosa
Notch3
mice. NOTCH3 activation in osteoblasts inhibited
Alpl
(alkaline phosphatase) and
Bglap
(osteocalcin) and induced
Tnfsf11
(RANKL) and
Tnfrsf11b
(osteoprotegerin) mRNA, possibly explaining the trabecular bone phenotype. However, NOTCH3 induced
Tnfsf11
and suppressed
Tnfrsf11b
in osteocytes, possibly explaining the cortical porosity. In conclusion, basal NOTCH3 is dispensable for skeletal homeostasis, whereas activation of NOTCH3 in osteoblasts/osteocytes inhibits osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption in cancellous bone but increases intracortical remodeling and causes cortical porosity.