Centrosome fine ultrastructure of the osteocyte mechanosensitive primary cilium

The centrosome is the principal microtubule organization center in cells, giving rise to microtubule-based organelles (e.g., cilia, flagella). The aim was to study the osteocyte centrosome morphology at an ultrastructural level in relation to its mechanosensitive function. Osteocyte centrosomes and cilia in tibial cortical bone were explored by acetylated alpha-tubulin (AαTub) immunostaining under confocal microscopy. For the first time, fine ultrastructure and spatial orientation of the osteocyte centrosome were explored by transmission electron microscopy on serial ultrathin sections. AαTub-positive staining was observed in 94% of the osteocytes examined (222/236). The mother centriole formed a short primary cilium and was longer than the daughter centriole due to an intermediate zone between centriole and cilium. The proximal end of the mother centriole was connected with the surface of daughter centriole by striated rootlets. The mother centriole exhibited distal appendages that interacted with the cell membrane and formed a particular structure called "cilium membrane prolongation." The primary cilium was mainly oriented perpendicular to the long axis of bone. Mother and daughter centrioles change their original mutual orientation during the osteocyte differentiation process. The short primary cilium is hypothesized as a novel type of fluid-sensing organelle in osteocytes.