Nutrient uptake and metabolism in osteoblasts

Osteoblasts are the chief bone-making cells that specialize in producing and mineralizing large amounts of type I collagen and other matrix proteins. The bioenergetics in support of the energy-intensive osteoblast activity is not well understood but has gained renewed interest in recent years. Research in the past ten years has not only confirmed glucose as the main energy substrate for osteoblasts, but also identified contributions of amino acids and fatty acids to either bioenergetic or biosynthetic processes in the cell. Moreover, osteogenic signals have been functionally linked to substrate utilization in osteoblasts. The brief review aims to summarize the recent findings, and to identify remaining questions in the emerging field.