Bone biology osteoblasts

Triffitt JT (1996) The stem cell of the osteoblast. In Bilezikian JP, Raisz LG, Rodan GA (eds) Principles of bone biology. Academic, San Diego, pp 39-50... 

The adult skeleton is periodically remodeled by transitory anatomic structures that contain juxtaposed osteoclast and osteoblast teams and that replace old bone with new bone. The purpose of this remodeling is both to prevent bone aging and repair the damage that occurs as well as to guarantee a contribution of minerals, especially calcium, to body cells for their correct function. In the last few years, due mainly to the research in molecular biology and cellular differentiation and to studies of genetically manipulated mice, it has been possible to discover many aspects both of the cellular and molecular bases of this bone remodeling as well as of the differentiation and function of the two main implied cell types osteoblasts and osteoclasts. 

If the RANKL/OPG system is a final effector on the biology of osteoclasts, then this system should be the basis for the antiresorptive effects of estrogen. Indeed, estrogen stimulates OPG synthesis for osteoblastic cells (Hofbauer et al. 1999), estrogen deficiency induced by OVX results in a decrease in OPG and increased RANKL production, an action that is prevented by estradiol administration, and OPG administration prevents bone loss induced by OVX (Simonet et al. 1997 Hofbauer et al. 2000 Hofbauer 1999). In addition, estrogen can suppress RANKL and M-CSF-induced differentiation of myelomonocytic precursors into multinucleated TRAP+ osteoclasts through an ER-dependent mechanism that does not require mediation by stromal cells (Shevde et al. 2000). Finally, treatment with estradiol inhibits the response of osteoclast precursors to the action of RANKL (Srivastava et al. 2001). 

Three hormones serve as the principal regulators of calcium and phosphate homeostasis parathyroid hormone (PTH), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), and the steroid vitamin D (Figure 42-2). Vitamin D is a prohormone rather than a true hormone, because it must be further metabolized to gain biologic activity. PTH stimulates the production of the active metabolite of vitamin D, l,25(OH)2D. l,25(OH)2D, on the other hand, suppresses the production of PTH. l,25(OH)2D stimulates the intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate. l,25(OH)2D and PTH promote both bone formation and resorption in part by stimulating the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Both... 

Fig. 9.4 Osteoblast secretion and matrix vesicle formation. The outer surface of all bones is covered by fibroblast-like cells that differentiate into pre-osteoblasts that secrete osteoid matrix to remodel the surface as necessary. The surface osteoblasts extend into the osteoid tissue by long processes that attach to osteocytes (fully differentiated, nondividing osteoblasts) within the bone. Changes in the environment may be sensed by the osteocytes, which transmit them as remodeling signals to the osteoblasts. The osteoid matrix is filled with many small membrane-covered matrix vesicles containing various amounts of precipitated basic calcium phosphate (white circles) (Modified from Fig. 22-52 in The Molecular Biology of the Cell. B. Alberts et al., 4th Ed. 2002. Garland Science, Taylor Francis Group, New York)...

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