EM 391 Osteocyte

Osteocyte

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of an osteocyte in compact bone.

This specimen was prepared using a technique known as deep etching. Etching removes ice from the surface of the frozen section by exposing it to a vacuum, revealing deeper structures previously hidden by the ice.

Osteocytes (blue) become embedded in the bone matrix as it develops. They have long cytoplasmic processes (yellow) that extend through tiny channels called canaliculi. This network allows them to communicate with other osteocytes and bone cells.

When osteocytes sense mechanical stress on the skeleton due to activities such as weight-lifting or even walking, they transform the forces into biological responses, which signal other cells to make or remove bone.

Courtesy of Lynda F. Bonewald, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.