According to the National Library of Medicine (NIH) Osteocytes are the most abundant bone cell in the human body out of the three other cells. Osteocytes’ role in the body is to keep your skeletal system healthy by regulating bone metabolism and keeping calcium homeostasis. These cells are necessary in keeping your skeletal bones strong, but also your skeletal pathological condition healthy.
Britannica says osteocytes derived from the osteoblasts, which are bone-forming cells. Osteoblasts create bone matrices and get engulfed into spaces called lacunae, thus creating osteocytes. In these lacunae osteocytes create networks to connect to other osteocytes, these channels are called canaliculi and play an important part of the skeletal matrix. Through these canliculi’s osteocytes are able to transfer nutrients and excrete waste through the bloodstream. The main function of osteocytes is to remodel and maintain bones. They replace old and damaged bones with new ones with the help of osteoblasts. Osteocytes can be compared to receptor protein because of their ability to transmit messages throughout the body when they sense mechanical strain or stress on the bones. One example of this is found commonly in runners called shin splints. Osteocytes detect the excessive pressure and signal osteoblasts to strengthen that particular area of the bone. This shows the adaptation of the body and how osteocytes help create stronger skeletal systems based on the needs of the body. Osteocytes also aid in the process known as osteocytic osteolysis (Tsourdi, E., Jähn, K., Rauner, M., Busse, B., & Bonewald, L. F. 2018). Osteocytic osteolysis takes calcium from the bones when there is a scarce amount in the bloodstream.This happens when calcium levels plummet and need to reach homeostasis. Osteocytic osteolysis is a factor that contributes to osteoporosis, which is when the bones lack material and become weak and brittle.(Garrick N. 2022 December)
These are some important organelles in osteocytes. All osteocytes do contain nuclei, where genetic information is regulated and stored. The nucleus is needed to control gene expression and supervise cell activities. The smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum also plays a part in the cell by synthesizing lipids and proteins. The smooth ER helps detoxify substances while the rough ER creates proteins and sends them to the golgi apparatus. The golgi apparatus processes and packages those proteins and lipids into vesicles so they can be shipped to wherever they are needed. The mitochondria creates ATP for energy throughout the cell. Lysosomes break down waste materials so that the cell won’t become toxic and die. They do this through enzymatic digestion. The cytoskeleton provides structure to the cell and helps aid with cell communication (Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., & Reece, J. B. 2019).
Some interactions between these organelles are: the nucleus and ER, ER and golgi apparatus, mitochondria and ER, cytoskeleton and organelles. The nucleus and ER interact with each other by the nucleus sending mRNA to the rough ER for it to produce proteins. Then the ER folds the proteins to send them to the golgi apparatus. The mitochondria supplies the ER with ATP so that it can synthesize protein. The Cytoskeleton keeps the organelles neat. Osteocytes do not contain more or less organelles to help it aid in its functions. Osteocytes are star shaped cells, similar to neurons, to aid in communication.