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Updated: Jul 21, 2026

A Novel in vivo Gene Transfer Technique and in vitro Cell Based Assays for the Study of Bone Loss in Musculoskeletal Disorders
Published on: June 8, 2014
Age-related phenotypic alterations in populations of purified human bone precursor cells
M W Long1, E K Ashcraft, D Normalle
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. MWLong@umich.edu
Abstract:
The ability to purify and characterize phenotypic markers of human bone precursor cells provides an important means to study the basis of age- or disease-related changes in osteogenesis. Utilizing immunologically purified and characterized populations of human bone preosteoblast-like cells, we demonstrate that distinct age-related alterations occur in bone cell phenotypic markers, and additionally document the presence of a subpopulation of elderly individuals who express markedly reduced amounts of bone proteins. These findings provide insights into the early phases of bone cell development, and provide a means for evaluating age- and/or disease-mediated changes in bone cell development.
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