How Osteoblasts Sense their Environment: Integrin-Extracellular Matrix Interactions and Mechanical Loading of Bone

Osteoblasts are the cells responsible for forming and replacing bone throughout life. We know that mechanical stimulation through weight-bearing at I gravity on Earth is needed to maintain healthy bone, and that osteoblasts play a critical role in that process. Over the last 9 years in my laboratory at NASA ARC, we have studied the regulation of osteoblast function by interactions between the extracellular matrix and die cell. Using a cell culture approach, we defined the repertoire of adhesion receptors, called integrins, which are expressed on the osteoblast surface, as well as specific extracellular matrix proteins, which are needed for cellular differentiation and survival. We are now extending these observations to determine if integrin signaling is involved in the skeletal responses to disuse and recovery from disuse using the rodent model of hindlimb unloading by tail suspension. Together, our cell culture and animal studies are providing new insight into the regulation of osteoblast function in bone.