Regulation of cortical and trabecular bone mass by communication between osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts

Abstract

The size and strength of bone is determined by two fundamental processes. One process, bone remodelling, renews the skeleton throughout life. In this process existing bone is resorbed by osteoclasts and replaced, in the same location, by osteoblasts. The other process is bone modelling, where bone formation and resorption occur at different sites so that the shape of bone is changed. Recent data suggests that both remodelling and modelling are controlled by signals between the cells that carry out these two processes. Osteoclasts both resorb bone, and provide inhibitory and stimulatory signals, including cardiotrophin-1 and sphingosine-1-kinase, to the osteoblast lineage thereby regulating t..