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osteoblast
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osteoblast

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Also known as osteoblasts

Osteoblasts (from the Greek combining forms for "bone", ὀστέο-, osteo- and βλαστάνω, blastanō "germinate") are cells with a single nucleus that synthesize bone. However, in the process of bone formation, osteoblasts function in groups of connected cells. Individual cells cannot make bone. A group of organized osteoblasts together with the bone made by a unit of cells is usually called the osteon.

Key facts

Cell.Caption
Osteoblasts (purple) rimming a bony spicule (pink - on diagonal of image). In this routinely fixed and decalcified (bone mineral removed) tissue, the osteoblasts have retracted and are separated from each other and from their underlying matrix. In living bone, the cells are linked by tight junctions and gap junctions, and integrated with underlying osteocytes and matrix H&E stain.
Cell.Width
200px
Cell.Image2
Bone forming cells - Osteoblasts 3 -- Smart-Servier.png
Cell.Caption2
Illustration showing a single osteoblast
Cell.Function
Formation of bone tissue
Cell.Location
Bone
Cell.Name
Osteoblast
Cell.Greek
osteoblastus
Cell.Image
Bone hypercalcemia - cropped - very high mag.jpg

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

74,275 papers

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image
Bony nidus 2.jpg
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Commons category
Osteoblasts
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via Wikidata · CC0

~19 min read

Article

17 sections
Contents
  • Bone structure
  • Bone remodeling
  • Osteoblasts
  • Osteoclasts
  • Osteogenesis
  • Bone morphogenetic proteins
  • Steroid and protein hormones
  • Organization and ultrastructure
  • Collagen and accessory proteins
  • Bone versus cartilage
  • Mineralization of bone
  • Osteocyte feedback
  • Morphology and histological staining
  • Isolation of Osteoblasts
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading

Osteoblasts (from the Greek combining forms for "bone", ὀστέο-, osteo- and βλαστάνω, blastanō "germinate") are cells with a single nucleus that synthesize bone. However, in the process of bone formation, osteoblasts function in groups of connected cells. Individual cells cannot make bone. A group of organized osteoblasts together with the bone made by a unit of cells is usually called the osteon.

Osteoblasts are specialized, terminally differentiated products of mesenchymal stem cells. They synthesize dense, crosslinked collagen and specialized proteins in much smaller quantities, including osteocalcin and osteopontin, which compose the organic matrix of bone.

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