Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Bone Cells and Tissue01:30

Bone Cells and Tissue

10.5K
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.
Osteoblasts and Osteocytes
The osteoblast is the bone cell responsible for forming new bone tissue. It is found in the growing portions of bone, including the...
10.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Investigating clinical courage: an international survey of rural doctors.

Rural and remote health·2026
Same author

Osteocyte and vascular network in hip osteoarthritis: A multimodal imaging and histological analysis.

Bone·2026
Same author

Early acetabular cup migration is associated with long-term aseptic loosening: investigation of 1-year and 2-year radiostereometric analysis cohort migration thresholds against acetabular cup survivorship from two national registries.

Acta orthopaedica·2026
Same author

Improving comparability of microCT assessment and reporting of subchondral bone in mouse models of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis and cartilage·2026
Same author

The Innate and Adaptive Immune Functions of Osteoblast-Lineage Cells.

Current osteoporosis reports·2026
Same author

High-resolution profiling of osteocyte transcriptomes via single-nucleus RNA sequencing.

JBMR plus·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Obtaining Primary Osteocytes Through Murine Calvarial Fractionation of GFP-Expressing Osteocytes
07:22

Obtaining Primary Osteocytes Through Murine Calvarial Fractionation of GFP-Expressing Osteocytes

Published on: June 2, 2020

2.7K

Isolation of osteocytes from human trabecular bone.

Matthew Prideaux1, Christine Schutz2, Asiri R Wijenayaka1

  • 1Centre for Orthopaedic and Trauma Research, Discipline of Orthopaedics and Trauma, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

Bone
|April 26, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a new method to isolate human osteocytes from bone tissue. These isolated cells exhibit characteristic morphology and gene expression, offering a valuable tool for studying human bone biology.

Keywords:
Cell morphologyGene expressionOsteocyteTrabecular bone

More Related Videos

Isolation, Purification, and Differentiation of Osteoclast Precursors from Rat Bone Marrow
11:11

Isolation, Purification, and Differentiation of Osteoclast Precursors from Rat Bone Marrow

Published on: May 19, 2019

11.0K
Application of Retinoic Acid to Obtain Osteocytes Cultures from Primary Mouse Osteoblasts
07:13

Application of Retinoic Acid to Obtain Osteocytes Cultures from Primary Mouse Osteoblasts

Published on: May 13, 2014

14.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Obtaining Primary Osteocytes Through Murine Calvarial Fractionation of GFP-Expressing Osteocytes
07:22

Obtaining Primary Osteocytes Through Murine Calvarial Fractionation of GFP-Expressing Osteocytes

Published on: June 2, 2020

2.7K
Isolation, Purification, and Differentiation of Osteoclast Precursors from Rat Bone Marrow
11:11

Isolation, Purification, and Differentiation of Osteoclast Precursors from Rat Bone Marrow

Published on: May 19, 2019

11.0K
Application of Retinoic Acid to Obtain Osteocytes Cultures from Primary Mouse Osteoblasts
07:13

Application of Retinoic Acid to Obtain Osteocytes Cultures from Primary Mouse Osteoblasts

Published on: May 13, 2014

14.0K

Area of Science:

  • Bone Biology
  • Cellular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Osteocytes are crucial for maintaining bone homeostasis but are challenging to study due to their location within the mineralized matrix.
  • Existing isolation techniques are primarily for mouse osteocytes, lacking a method for human osteocytes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a protocol for isolating viable osteocytes from human trabecular bone.
  • To characterize the isolated human osteocytes for morphology, gene expression, and functional responses.

Main Methods:

  • Human trabecular bone samples were obtained during surgery.
  • Sequential digestion using collagenase and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was employed for cell isolation.
  • Isolated cells were cultured ex vivo and analyzed for morphology, gene expression (E11, DMP1, SOST, MEPE, PHEX, MMP13, CTSK, CAR2), and response to hormones (PTH, 1,25D).

Main Results:

  • Osteocyte-like cells with characteristic dendritic morphology were successfully isolated from later digests.
  • The isolated cells expressed key osteocyte marker genes (E11, DMP1, SOST, MEPE, PHEX) and genes involved in perilacunar remodeling (MMP13, CTSK, CAR2).
  • Cells demonstrated expected functional responses, downregulating SOST mRNA in response to parathyroid hormone (PTH) and upregulating fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) mRNA in response to 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D).

Conclusions:

  • A reliable protocol for isolating functional human osteocytes from trabecular bone has been established.
  • These isolated human osteocytes mimic in vivo behavior and represent a significant advancement for studying human osteocyte biology.
  • This method provides a crucial tool for future research into bone homeostasis and diseases.