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In Vivo Osteocyte Mechanotransduction: Recent Developments and Future Directions

  • Biomechanics (G Niebur and J Wallace, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Osteoporosis Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Mechanical loading is an essential stimulus for skeletal tissues. Osteocytes are primarily responsible for sensing mechanical stimuli in bone and for orchestrating subsequent responses. This is critical for maintaining homeostasis, and responding to injury/disease. The osteocyte mechanotransduction pathway, and the downstream effects it mediates, is highly complex. In vivo models have proved invaluable in understanding this process. This review summarizes the commonly used models, as well as more recently developed ones, and describes how they are used to address emerging questions in the field.

Recent Findings

Minimally invasive animal models can be used to determine mechanisms of osteocyte mechanotransduction, at the cell and molecular level, while simultaneously reducing potentially confounding responses such as inflammation/wound-healing.

Summary

The details of osteocyte mechanotransduction in bone are gradually becoming clearer. In vivo model systems are a key tool in pursing this question. Advances in this field are explored and discussed in this review.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Jack Roberts on the illustrative work in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy & Tissue Engineering Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland

    Paige V. Hinton & Oran D. Kennedy

  2. School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Science Centre, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Susan M. Rackard

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  1. Paige V. Hinton
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Correspondence to Oran D. Kennedy.

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Paige V Hinton, Susan M. Rackard, and Oran D. Kennedy declare no conflict of interest.

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Hinton, P.V., Rackard, S.M. & Kennedy, O.D. In Vivo Osteocyte Mechanotransduction: Recent Developments and Future Directions. Curr Osteoporos Rep 16, 746–753 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-018-0485-1

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