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Related Concept Videos

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling01:31

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

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Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during...
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Bone Cells and Tissue01:30

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Bones contain a relatively small number of cells entrenched in a matrix of organic and inorganic components. Although bone cells compose only a small amount of the bone volume, they are crucial to its function. Four types of cells are found within the bone tissue— osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteogenic cells, and osteoclasts.
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Bone Remodeling01:40

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Bone remodeling is a continuous and balanced process of bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. In adults, it helps maintain bone mass and calcium homeostasis. While mechanical stress can stimulate turnover as part of the normal maintenance and reparative process, several hormones also regulate bone remodeling.
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Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification01:24

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Bone formation, or ossification, begins around the sixth to seventh week of embryonic development. Most bones develop from a cartilaginous template through the process of endochondral ossification. Cartilage formation begins when clusters of mesenchymal cells differentiate into chondrocytes. These chondrocytes proliferate rapidly and secrete an extracellular matrix that becomes encased in a membrane called the perichondrium. The resulting cartilage model provides a template that resembles the...
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Hormones and Bone Tissue01:17

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The endocrine system produces and secretes hormones, which interact with the skeletal system. These hormones control bone growth, maintain bone once it is formed, and remodel it.
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The Bone Matrix01:18

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Bone contains a relatively small number of cells entrenched in a matrix of collagen fibers that provide an adherent surface for inorganic salt crystals. Both components of the matrix, organic and inorganic, contribute to the unusual properties of bone. Without collagen, bones would be brittle and shatter easily. Without mineral crystals, bones would flex and provide little support. This can be observed by an experiment: when the minerals of a bone are dissolved by soaking the bone in...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Alveolar Periosteum and Effects of Vitamin D on Osteogenic Activity of Periosteum-derived Cells
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Osteoclast-derived complement component 3a stimulates osteoblast differentiation.

Kazuhiko Matsuoka1, Kyoung-Ae Park, Masako Ito

  • 1Department of Bone and Joint Disease, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan.

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research : the Official Journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
|January 29, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Osteoclast-derived complement component 3a (C3a) stimulates osteoblast differentiation, acting as a potential coupling factor in bone remodeling. Blocking C3a signaling in vivo attenuates bone formation and exacerbates bone loss.

Keywords:
MOLECULAR PATHWAYS - REMODELING < BONE MODELING AND REMODELINGOSTEOBLASTS < CELLS OF BONEOSTEOCLASTS < CELLS OF BONE

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Area of Science:

  • Bone Biology
  • Cell Signaling
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Bone remodeling involves coupled resorption and formation, but the key signaling molecules remain unclear.
  • Osteoclasts and osteoblasts are critical cells in bone turnover, and their communication is essential for skeletal homeostasis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the "coupling factor" mediating communication from osteoclasts to osteoblasts.
  • To investigate the role of complement component 3 (C3) in bone remodeling and osteoblast differentiation.

Main Methods:

  • Purification of osteoblastogenesis-stimulating factors from osteoclast conditioned medium (CM).
  • Assays for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity to measure osteoblast differentiation.
  • ELISA for C3a detection, gene expression analysis, and in vivo studies using ovariectomy (OVX) and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) models.
  • Pharmacological inhibition of C3a receptor (C3aR) signaling.

Main Results:

  • Osteoclast CM contains a factor that stimulates osteoblast differentiation, identified as complement component 3 (C3).
  • C3 expression and C3a production increase during osteoclastogenesis.
  • C3aR antagonism inhibits osteoblastogenesis-stimulating activity, while C3a or C3aR agonist treatment promotes osteoblast differentiation.
  • In vivo, C3a blockade attenuates OVX-induced bone formation and exacerbates bone loss.

Conclusions:

  • Osteoclast-derived C3a acts as a signaling molecule in the bone remodeling coupling process.
  • C3a may represent a novel coupling factor linking bone resorption to bone formation.
  • Targeting C3a signaling could offer therapeutic strategies for bone diseases.