Osteocyte Isolation and Culture Methods

Overview

Journal Bonekey Rep

Date 2016 Sep 21

PMID 27648260

Citations 16

Authors

Karan M Shah

Matt M Stern

Amber R Stern

Janak L Pathak

Nathalie Bravenboer

Astrid D Bakker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present several popular methods for in vitro culture of osteocytes and osteocyte cell lines. Osteocytes are located extremely suitably within the calcified bone matrix to sense mechanical signals, and are equipped with a multitude of molecular features that allow mechanosensing. However, osteocytes are more than specialized mechanosensing cells. Several signaling molecules are preferentially produced by osteocytes, and osteocytes hold a tight reign over osteoblast and osteoclast formation and activity, but also have a role as endocrine cell, communicating with muscles or organs as remote as the kidneys. In order to facilitate further research into this fascinating cell type, three protocols will be provided in this paper. The first protocol will be on the culture of mouse (early) osteocyte cell lines, the second on the isolation and culture of primary mouse bone cells, and the third on the culture of fully embedded human osteocytes within their own three-dimensional bone matrix.

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