title: Multidisciplinary characterization of the long-bone cortex growth patterns through sheep's ontogeny.
abstract: Bone researches have studied extant and extinct taxa extensively trying to disclose a complete view of the complex structural and chemical transformations that model and remodel the macro and microstructure of bone during growth. However, to approach bone growth variations is not an easy task, and many aspects related with histological transformations during ontogeny remain unresolved. In the present study, we conduct a holistic approach using different techniques (polarized microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction) to examine the histomorphological and histochemical variations in the cortical bone of sheep specimens from intrauterine to adult stages, using environmentally controlled specimens from the same species. Our results suggest that during sheep bone development, the most important morphological (shape and size) and chemical transformations in the cortical bone occur during the first weeks of life; synchronized but dissimilar variations are established in the forelimb and hind limb cortical bone; and the patterns of bone tissue maturation in both extremities are differentiated in the adult stage. All of these results indicate that standardized histological models are useful not only for evaluating many aspects of normal bone growth but also to understand other important influences on the bones, such as pathologies that remain unknown.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Poblaciones del Pasado (LAPP), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: oscar.cambra@uam.es.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cambra-Moo
authors.affiliation: Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nacarino-Meneses
authors.affiliation: Centro de Cirugía de Mínima Invasión "Jesús Usón", Ctra. N-521, km. 41.8, 10071 Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: Idoia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Díaz-Güemes
authors.affiliation: Centro de Cirugía de Mínima Invasión "Jesús Usón", Ctra. N-521, km. 41.8, 10071 Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enciso
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Poblaciones del Pasado (LAPP), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Orosia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: García Gil
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Arqueozoología (LAZ), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Llorente Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Barbero
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: de Aza
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Poblaciones del Pasado (LAPP), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González Martín
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization; D011247:Pregnancy; D012756:Sheep; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
keywords: Animal model; Cortical bone; Histology; Ontogeny; Sheep