Search:        >> Advanced Search
Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nakano, Y. Articles by Takano, Y. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nakano, Y. Articles by Takano, Y. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Eccentric Localization of Osteocytes Expressing Enzymatic Activities, Protein, and mRNA Signals for Type 5 Tartrate-resistant Acid Phosphatase (TRAP)

Yukiko Nakano, Satoru Toyosawa and Yoshiro Takano

Biostructural Science, Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan (YN,YT), and Department of Oral Pathology, Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan (ST)

Correspondence to: Prof. Yoshiro Takano, Biostructural Science, Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan. E-mail: takanoy.bss{at}tmd.ac.jp

Enzymatic activity of type 5 tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) has been regarded as one of the reliable markers for osteoclasts and their precursors. The presence of TRAP activity in osteocytes near the bone resorbing surface has also been pointed out in some reports. However, the significance of TRAP reactions in osteocytes remains controversial and, in fact, there is no agreement as to whether the histochemical enzyme reactions in osteocytes represent the TRAP enzyme generated by the respective osteocytes or is a mere diffusion artifact of the reaction products derived from the nearby osteoclasts. Current histochemical, immunohistochemical, and in situ hybridization studies of rat and canine bones confirmed TRAP enzyme activity, TRAP immunoreactivity, and the expression of Trap mRNA signals in osteocytes located close to the bone-resorbing surface. TRAP/Trap- positive osteocytes thus identified were confined to the areas no further than 200 µm from the bone-resorbing surface and showed apparent upregulation of TRAP/Trap expression toward the active osteoclasts. Spatial and temporal patterns of TRAP/Trap expression in the osteocytes should serve as a valuable parameter for further analyses of biological interactions between the osteocytes and the osteoclasts associated with bone remodeling.

(J Histochem Cytochem 52:1475–1482, 2004)

Key Words: tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) • osteocyte • osteoclast • immunohistochemistry • in situ hybridization • bone

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact

The Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry is owned, published, and licensed by The Histochemical Society © 2004