Resorption of bone

Abstract

The cell-system responsible for resorption of bone is now considered to be a derivative of haematopoietic bone-marrow, not skeletal connective tissue. Consideration of mutant mice and rats, with defects of bone resorption giving osteopetrosis, suggests that the primary defect is of the professional scavengers, the mononuclear-phagocyte system, failing to recognise effete bone. To explain associated defects of thymic lymphocytes it is postulated that the mononuclear-phagocyte system may be activated to a major or minor extent by professional recognisers, thymic lymphocytes, as happens in some inflammatory reactions.