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Updated: Nov 22, 2025

A Fluorescent Intravital Imaging Approach to Study Load-Induced Calcium Signaling Dynamics in Mouse Osteocytes
Published on: February 24, 2023
New Advances in Osteocyte Mechanotransduction
Xuehua Li1, Jacob Kordsmeier1, Jinhu Xiong2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Center for Musculoskeletal Disease Research, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Purpose Of Review:
Skeletal adaptation to mechanical loading plays a critical role in bone growth and the maintenance of bone homeostasis. Osteocytes are postulated to serve as a hub orchestrating bone remodeling. The recent findings on the molecular mechanisms by which osteocytes sense mechanical loads and the downstream bone-forming factors are reviewed.
Recent Findings:
Calcium channels have been implicated in mechanotransduction in bone cells for a long time. Efforts have been made to identify a specific calcium channel mediating the skeletal response to mechanical loads. Recent studies have revealed that Piezo1, a mechanosensitive ion channel, is critical for normal bone growth and is essential for the skeletal response to mechanical loading. Identification of mechanosensors and their downstream effectors in mechanosensing bone cells is essential for new strategies to modulate regenerative responses and develop therapies to treat the bone loss related to disuse or advanced age.
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