Researchers from the UK made the discovery by randomly screening different strains of mice engineered such that a single gene had been inactivated in their genome.
"The Mouse Genetics Project's broad primary trait screen independently identified five genes that when deleted cause bone abnormalities. The other groups used X-ray microradiography, micro-CT and biomechanical testing to further characterise these 5 genes and identified an additional 5 genes that affect bone composition," Dr Jacqueline White, one of the authors from the Wellcome Sanger Institute said in a statement.
All nine of the new genes discovered had not previously been implicated in skeletal disorders.
One of the random genes selected, Sparc, is a well-studied gene whose deletion results in weak, brittle bones.
The screen positively identified this gene as affecting bone health and this acted as a well-characterised positive control for the identification of the nine new genes that the study uncovered.
Bone disorders can include osteoporosis, thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density and osteogenesis imperfecta which causes extremely fragile bones.
"We are developing new ways of finding genes that are essential for normal development of the skeleton, and which maintain the structure and integrity of bone during adulthood," Professor Graham Williams, senior author from Imperial College London said.