title: [Bone Cell Biology Assessed by Microscopic Approach. Response to mechanical stress by osteocyte network].
abstract: Osteocytes were considered to be involved in the response to mechanical stress from their network structure. However, it was difficult to prove the function because of the lack of animal models for a long time. Recently, the function of osteocytes was clarified using various knockout and transgenic mice. Osteocyte death causes bone remodeling, which is a repair process induced by osteocyte necrosis but not by the loss of the function of live osteocytes. The osteocyte network mildly inhibits bone formation and mildly stimulates bone resorption in physiological condition. In unloaded condition, it strongly inhibits bone formation and strongly stimulates bone resorption, at least in part, through the induction of Sost in osteocytes and Rankl in osteoblasts.
authors.affiliation: Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D006801:Humans; D010011:Osteocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013312:Stress, Physiological