Table of Contents
What is the function of osteoclasts and why would they be necessary for bone growth and maintenance?
It’s necessary for muscle contraction, blood clotting, nerve conduction, and other functions. It also provides strength to bones and teeth. Specialized cells called osteoclasts break down bone to free the calcium. Cells known as osteoblasts deposit calcium into bone, remaking it.
What is the role of the osteoclast and osteoblast in bone growth?
In simple words, an osteoblast builds the bone, whereas an osteoclast eats up the bone so that it can be reshaped into a stronger and resilient load-bearing structure. Other differences are mentioned below. Osteoblasts or lining cells: Osteoblasts are considered the main type of bone cells.
Why are osteoclasts cells that break down bones actually important in bone growth?
The osteoclasts remove bone by dissolving the mineral and breaking down the matrix in a process that is called bone resorption. The osteoclasts come from the same precursor cells in the bone marrow that produce white blood cells.
How do osteoclasts destroy bone?
Osteoclasts Resorb Bone They closely attach to the bone matrix by binding its surface integrins to a bone protein called vitronectin. It secretes acid and proteases across the ruffled border, and these dissolve the mineral of bone and destroy the organic matrix (see Figure 9.8.
How does an osteoblast affect the osteoclast?
Osteoblasts can affect osteoclast formation, differentiation, or apoptosis through several pathways, such as OPG/RANKL/RANK, RANKL/LGR4/RANK, Ephrin2/ephB4, and Fas/FasL pathways.
How does osteoclasts break down disintegrating cartilage?
Osteoblasts penetrate the disintegrating cartilage and replace it with spongy bone. This forms a primary ossification center. Ossification continues from this center toward the ends of the bones. After spongy bone is formed in the diaphysis, osteoclasts break down the newly formed bone to open up the medullary cavity.
When do osteoclasts take calcium from your bones?
These growth plates close at the end of the teen years, but your body remodels your bones throughout life as conditions change. For example, if the calcium level in your blood drops too low, it steals calcium from your bones with the help of osteoclasts, which are bone-destroying cells that chew up your bones.
What happens to the osteoclast in zero gravity?
In the absence of load-bearing exercises, such as walking or weight training, osteoclast formation and activity increase and bone tissue is reabsorbed at a faster rate. Thus, after periods of inactivity due to paralysis or sickness, bones become thinner and weaker. This is a large concern for astronauts who experience many months in zero gravity.