Research progress in the osteocyte and its function

The osteocyte is the cell that lies in the mineralized bone matrix.It is the most abundant and most widely distributed cell in bone tissue.The osteocyte retains the close interaction among themselves and the osteoblast on the surface of bone matrix through the cell synapse.As the direct bone mechanical stress sensing cell,the osteocyte can transfer mechanical stress into bone formation or bone resorption signal,and further send these biochemical signals to the effector cells.Therefore,the osteocyte plays an important role in the bone remodeling process.In addition,the osteocyte functions to balance the minerals in the body.Therefore,study of the osteocyte may explore new ways for the treatment of metabolic bone diseases.