Big Boned

Think about bones and you’ll probably imagine a dead, rattling skeleton. But the bones in your body are very much alive. Throughout our lifetime, different types of cells work together to create and destroy bone tissue in carefully controlled cycles that are regulated by a number of genes. These two images are mouse thigh bones, stained with dyes that highlight different components in the bone and seen down a microscope. The one on the left comes from a healthy animal, but the one on the right is from a mouse missing a crucial gene called bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1a (Bmpr1a). Without it, the cycle of growth and destruction are out of balance, so mice have bigger but less healthy bones. Not only does this discovery reveal more about healthy bone maintenance, but it also points to potential targets for future treatments for people suffering from bone diseases and disorders.

Written by Kat Arney

Kat Arney

Writer

Dr Kat Arney is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster and public speaker, and is the founder and Creative Director of First Create The Media.

Website

• Image from work by Soma Biswas and colleagues
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
• Originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in Scientific Reports, May 2018