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Bone Cells and Tissue

Bone Cells and Tissue

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

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...

Bone Remodeling

Bone Remodeling

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.

Compact Bone

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Compact bone, also called cortical bone, is the denser, stronger of the two types of bone tissue. It is found under the periosteum and in the diaphyses of long bones, where it provides support and protection. The microscopic structural unit of compact bone is called an osteon, or haversian system. Each osteon is composed of concentric rings of calcified...

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Bone tissue forms the internal skeleton of vertebrate animals, providing structure to the body.
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Within the skeletal system, the structure of a bone, or osseous tissue, can be exemplified in a long bone, like the femur, where there are two types of osseous tissue: cortical and cancellous.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 8, 2025

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

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

Published on: May 13, 2014

Targeting osteocytes vs osteoblasts.

Y Kitase¹, M Prideaux¹

¹Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States of America.

|March 3, 2023

Summary

This review examines mouse models for studying bone cells, focusing on the Cre/loxP system. It highlights promoter specificity concerns for accurate gene function analysis in osteoblasts and osteocytes.

Keywords:

Cre/loxP Differentiation Osteoblasts Osteocytes Transgenic

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Last Updated: Aug 8, 2025

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Area of Science:

Bone Biology and Genetics
Cellular and Molecular Biology

Background:

Osteoblasts and osteocytes, crucial bone cells, originate from the same lineage but have distinct functions.
The Cre/loxP system is vital for targeted gene deletion and lineage tracing in these cells, advancing research.
Concerns exist regarding promoter specificity and off-target effects in Cre/loxP studies.

Approach:

This review summarizes key mouse models used to investigate gene functions in osteoblasts and osteocytes.
It analyzes promoter expression patterns during osteoblast to osteocyte differentiation in vivo.
The review discusses potential complications arising from expression in non-skeletal tissues.

Key Points:

Understanding promoter activity in osteoblasts and osteocytes is essential for accurate research.
Specificity of promoters used in Cre/loxP systems can impact experimental outcomes.
Off-target gene expression in non-skeletal tissues may lead to misinterpretation of results.

Conclusions:

Improved study design and data interpretation rely on a thorough understanding of promoter activation timing and location.
Careful consideration of promoter specificity is critical for reliable genetic studies in bone cells.
This review provides insights for researchers using Cre/loxP systems in bone cell research.