REVIEW JBMR The Amazing Osteocyte

The last decade has provided a virtual explosion of data on the molecular biology and function of osteocytes. Far from being the ‘‘passive placeholder in bone,’ ’ this cell has been found to have numerous functions, such as acting as an orchestrator of bone remodeling through regulation of both osteoclast and osteoblast activity and also functioning as an endocrine cell. The osteocyte is a source…