engleski

Pericyte/myofibroblast phenotype of osteoprogenitor cell

The osteoblast lineage arises from a mesenchymal progenitor cell that also has the ability to generate a diversity of other lineages including adipocytes, chondrocytes, myocytes and cells that support hematopoiesis1, 2. In order to better understand the developmental and homeostatic processes in bone it is imperative to define strictly the stages within the osteoprogenitor lineage maturation. The development of experimental models in which green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes are expressed under the control of osteoblast lineage promoters has provided valuable information on the progression of the lineage at relatively mature stages of development. However, they have not provided information on the identity of mesenchymal progenitor cells prior to entering the osteogenic pathway. We propose that the step of recruitment of multipotent progenitors into the osteogenic pathway is a critical stage on the control of bone mass and could be an attractive target for pharmacological intervention. Unfortunately, at this moment we do not possess good strategies to confidently identify and isolate these early progenitors. Based on the successful development of osteoblast lineage directed GFP markers, we now aim to identify a definitive marker specific for progenitor cells prior to entering the osteogenic pathway.

osteoblasts; differentiation; gene targeting

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