Remodeling in bone without osteocytes: Billfish challenge bone structure–function paradigms

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Abstract
Significance: A fundamental paradigm of bone biology is that the remodeling process—by which bones detect and repair damage—is orchestrated by osteocytes. The bones of most extant fish, however, lack these cells and should be unable to repair damage in their bones. We provide evidence for intense remodeling in the anosteocytic bone of billfishes, such as swordfish and marlin. Our observations challenge the central axiom that osteocytes alone are responsible for remodeling, suggesting alternate mechanisms in bone physiology and/or variation in the roles of bone cells. In addition, billfish bone exhibits an array of striking material properties that distinguish it from mammalian bone despite having similar composition, underlining that skeletal biology concepts are limiting when based on mammalian tissues alone.

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