Dynamics of the transition from osteoblast to osteocyte

Osteocytes are derived from osteoblasts and make up over 90% of the cells in bone. However, the mechanisms that control the differentiation of osteoblasts into osteocytes embedded in bone matrix are not well understood. With the recent developments of transgenic models for manipulating gene expression in osteocytes and of transgenic mice carrying lineage reporters for osteoblasts and osteocytes, unprecedented new insights are becoming possible....