Bone remodeling: Multiple cellular interactions required for coupling of bone formation and resorption

The dynamic nature of the skeleton is achieved by a process called remodeling which involves the coordinated actions of osteoclasts, osteoblasts, osteocytes within the bone matrix and osteoblast-derived lining cells that cover the surface of bone. Remodeling commences with signals that initiate osteoclast formation followed by osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, a reversal period, and then a long period of bone matrix formation mediated by osteoblasts, followed by mineralisation of the matrix. This review will discuss each of these steps with particular emphasis on the communication pathways between each cell type involved and the roles of ephrins, sclerostin, RANKL and PTHrP. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.