The last decade has seen an exponential increase in our understanding of osteocytes function and biology. These cells, once considered inert by-standers trapped into the mineralized bone, has now risen to be key regulators of skeletal metabolism, mineral homeostasis, and hematopoiesis. As tools and techniques to study osteocytes improved and expanded, it has become evident that there is more to these cells than initially thought. Osteocytes are now recognized not only as the key responders to mechanical forces but also as orchestrators of bone remodeling and mineral homeostasis. These cells are the primary source of several important proteins, such as sclerostin and fibroblast growth factor 23, that are currently target as novel therapies for bone loss (as the case for antisclerostin antibodies) or phosphate disorders. Better understanding of the intricate cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern osteocyte biology will open new avenue of research and ultimately indentify novel therapeutics to treat bone and mineral disorders. This review summarizes novel findings and discusses future avenues of research.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  

• Study on the influence of scaffold morphology and structure on osteogenic performance
  Jingyu Zhou, Shilang Xiong, Min Liu, Hao Yang, Peng Wei, Feng Yi, Min Ouyang, Hanrui Xi, Zhisheng Long, Yayun Liu, Jingtang Li, Linghua Ding, Long Xiong
  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• New Insights Into Monogenic Causes of Osteoporosis
  Riikka E. Mäkitie, Alice Costantini, Anders Kämpe, Jessica J. Alm, Outi Mäkitie
  Frontiers in Endocrinology.2019;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Calcium fluxes at the bone/plasma interface: Acute effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and targeted deletion of PTH/PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) receptor in the osteocytes
  Christopher Dedic, Tin Shing Hung, Alan M. Shipley, Akira Maeda, Thomas Gardella, Andrew L. Miller, Paola Divieti Pajevic, Joseph G. Kunkel, Alessandro Rubinacci
  Bone.2018; 116: 135.     CrossRef
• Ex vivo replication of phenotypic functions of osteocytes through biomimetic 3D bone tissue construction
  Qiaoling Sun, Saba Choudhary, Ciaran Mannion, Yair Kissin, Jenny Zilberberg, Woo Y. Lee
  Bone.2018; 106: 148.     CrossRef
• Serum Phosphate Is Associated With Fracture Risk: The Rotterdam Study and MrOS
  Natalia Campos‐Obando, W Nadia H Koek, Elizabeth R Hooker, Bram CJ van der Eerden, Huibert A Pols, Albert Hofman, Johannes PTM van Leeuwen, Andre G Uitterlinden, Carrie M Nielson, M. Carola Zillikens
  Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.2017; 32(6): 1182.     CrossRef
• Intermittent PTH treatment can delay the transformation of mature osteoblasts into lining cells on the periosteal surfaces
  Mi-Gyeong Jang, Ji Yeon Lee, Jae-Yeon Yang, Hyojung Park, Jung Hee Kim, Jung-Eun Kim, Chan Soo Shin, Seong Yeon Kim, Sang Wan Kim
  Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism.2016; 34(5): 532.     CrossRef
• The osteoclasts attach to the bone surface where the extracellular calcium concentration decreases
  Bilu Xiang, Yang Liu, Lu Xie, Qian Zhao, Ling Zhang, Xueqi Gan, Haiyang Yu
  Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics.2016; 74(4): 553.     CrossRef
• The Effect of Discontinuing Treatment With Blosozumab: Follow-up Results of a Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial in Postmenopausal Women With Low Bone Mineral Density
  Christopher P Recknor, Robert R Recker, Charles T Benson, Deborah A Robins, Alan Y Chiang, Jahangir Alam, Leijun Hu, Toshio Matsumoto, Hideaki Sowa, John H Sloan, Robert J Konrad, Bruce H Mitlak, Adrien A Sipos
  Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.2015; 30(9): 1717.     CrossRef
• Promoting effect of 1,25(OH) 2 vitamin D 3 in osteogenic differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells to osteocyte-like cells
  Hiroshi Kato, Hiromi Ochiai-Shino, Shoko Onodera, Akiko Saito, Takahiko Shibahara, Toshifumi Azuma
  Open Biology.2015; 5(2): 140201.     CrossRef
• From mechanical stimulus to bone formation: A review
  Natacha Rosa, Ricardo Simoes, Fernão D. Magalhães, Antonio Torres Marques
  Medical Engineering & Physics.2015; 37(8): 719.     CrossRef
• Brief Review of Articles in 'Endocrinology and Metabolism' in 2013
  Won-Young Lee
  Endocrinology and Metabolism.2014; 29(3): 251.     CrossRef