News tagged with osteoclasts

Osteoclast

An osteoclast (from the Greek words for "bone" (Οστό) and "broken" (κλαστός)) is a type of bone cell that removes bone tissue by removing its mineralized matrix and breaking up the organic bone (organic dry weight is 90% collagen). This process is known as bone resorption. Osteoclasts were discovered by Kolliker in 1873. Osteoclasts and osteoblasts are instrumental in controlling the amount of bone tissue: osteoblasts form bone, osteoclasts resorb bone. Osteoclasts are formed by the fusion of cells of the monocyte-macrophage cell line. Osteoclasts are characterized by high expression of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


Fusion and cell death in the development of skeletal muscle

(Medical Xpress)—Membrane fusion is a highly regulated event, both inside cells, and between them. From the moment a sperm first fuses with an egg, subsequent developmental events depend upon its proper ...

Medical research created Apr 26, 2013 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

New osteoporosis drug combination outperforms current alternatives

A combination of two FDA-approved osteoporosis drugs with different mechanisms of action was found to increase bone density better than treatment with either drug alone in a small clinical trial. As reported in paper receiving ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast