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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2019 Dec 2;16(2):91–103. doi: 10.1038/s41574-019-0282-7

Fig. 3 |. differentiation process of osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

Fig. 3 |

Bone is a highly metabolically active tissue, which undergoes a continuous cycle of bone formation mediated by osteoblasts and bone resorption facilitated by osteoclasts. The cells that comprise bone tissue have diverse origins. Osteoblasts are derived from mesenchymal stem cells, which can also give rise to adipocytes, chondrocytes and myocytes. Osteoclasts are large, multinucleated cells formed by fusion of precursors derived from the monocyte–macrophage lineage. As the major cellular component of bone tissue, osteocytes originate from osteoblasts. We list several representative genes linked to bone metabolism by omics studies; functional experiments support their involvement in bone homeostasis. GWAS, genome-wide association studies; PTHR, parathyroid hormone receptor.