Osteocyte Dendrites: How Do They Grow, Mature, and Degenerate in Mineralized Bone?
Date
2024-12-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cytoskeleton
Abstract
Osteocytes, the most abundant bone cells, form an extensive cellular network via interconnecting dendrites. Like neurons in the brain, the long-lived osteocytes perceive mechanical and biological inputs and signal to other effector cells, leading to the homeostasis and turnover of bone tissues. Despite the appreciation of osteocytes' vital roles in bone biology, the initiation, growth, maintenance, and eventual degradation of osteocyte dendrites are poorly understood due to their full encasement by mineralized matrix. With the advancement of imaging modalities and genetic models, the architectural organization and molecular composition of the osteocyte dendrites, as well as their morphological changes with aging and diseases, have begun to be revealed. However, several long-standing mysteries remain unsolved, including (1) how the dendrites are initiated and elongated when a surface osteoblast becomes embedded as an osteocyte; (2) how the dendrites maintain a relatively stable morphology during their decades-long life span; (3) what biological processes control the dendrite morphology, connectivity, and stability; and (4) if these processes are influenced by age, sex, hormones, and mechanical loading. Our review of long, thin actin filament (F-actin)-containing processes extending from other cells leads to a working model that serves as a starting point to investigate the formation and maintenance of osteocyte dendrites and their degradation with aging and diseases.
Description
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Guerra, R.M., Fowler, V.M. and Wang, L. (2025), Osteocyte Dendrites: How Do They Grow, Mature, and Degenerate in Mineralized Bone?. Cytoskeleton. https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.21964, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.21964. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
This article will be embargoed until 12/09/2025.
Keywords
connectivity, cytoskeleton, F-actin, mechanosensing, microtubule
Citation
Guerra, R.M., Fowler, V.M. and Wang, L. (2025), Osteocyte Dendrites: How Do They Grow, Mature, and Degenerate in Mineralized Bone?. Cytoskeleton. https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.21964