Cell biology of bone

The unique physical and biological properties of bone are the direct results of actions by its constituent cells. The previous chapter introduced the cells of bone and their functions in skeletal physiology. This chapter will revisit those cells with a closer look at some of the fundamental cellular processes used in carrying out those functions-for example, proliferation, differentiation, migration/adhesion, synthesis and degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and several modes of cell-cell communication. A final section discusses briefly some of the in vitro experimental systems currently used to study bone cells. As described in the previous chapter, there are four major types of bone cells, readily identifiable.