The three-dimensional structure of the clear zone of a cultured osteoclast

Osteoclasts collected from long bones of newborn mice were cultured on dentine slices. Then, osteoclasts were sectioned by alternating semithin and ultrathin sections, and the three-dimensional reconstruction was made by the serial semithin sections. By this method, the present study showed first the three-dimensional structure of an osteoclast, especially the clear zone. A reconstructed osteoclast with complicated contours shifted from the lacuna, and its clear zone was a ring-shaped structure. By TEM, a new small lacuna was formed under the ruffled border, and the clear zone could be further classified into three types. The present study suggested that the synthetic observations of both three-dimensional structure and ultrastructure by transmission electron microscopy were necessary to determine whether the osteoclast was resorbing or migrating. According to these observations, the reconstructed osteoclast seemed to be migrating.