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The complexities of skeletal biology

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Abstract

For a long time, the skeleton was seen as an amorphous tissue of little biological interest. But such a view ignored the large number of genetic and degenerative diseases affecting this organ. Over the past 15 years, molecular and genetic studies have modified our understanding of skeletal biology. By so doing this progress has affected our understanding of diseases and suggested in many instances new therapeutic opportunities.

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Figure 1: Key issues in skeletal development.
Figure 2: Each of the three specific cell types of the skeleton have particular spatial distributions.
Figure 3: Unresolved issues in skeletal physiology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor College of Medicine, Bone Disease Program of Texas, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    Gerard Karsenty

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  1. Gerard Karsenty
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Correspondence to Gerard Karsenty.

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Karsenty, G. The complexities of skeletal biology. Nature 423, 316–318 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01654

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