[Frontiers in Live Bone Imaging Researches. Amazing function of osteocyte]

Osteocytes, the most numerous and least well studied bone cells, are stellate-shaped cells enclosed within the bone lacuno-canalicular network of bone. Based on the osteocyte location within the bone matrix and the cellular morphology, it is proposed that osteocytes potentially contribute to the regulation of bone remodeling in response to mechanical and endocrine stimuli. Although the potential importance of osteocytes has been recognized, there has been limited evidence for functional roles of osteocytes in bone remodeling. However, studies of mice gene targeting and human gene mutations have contributed to recent progress of osteocyte biology. Furthermore, bone has been traditionally regarded as a part of the skeletal and locomotor system, but recent studies suggest that osteocytes regulate systemic biological functions based on the inseparable link between bone and other systems.