Microtubule organizing centres in osteoclasts

我的研究计划的总体目标是了解分化细胞中的微管（MT）如何促进其特殊功能。我的NSERC研究计划研究骨细胞，这个建议将检查在破骨细胞中的MT的起源。破骨细胞是一种强大的细胞，具有降解致密钙化骨基质的功能。破骨细胞起源于前体细胞的融合，并分化成大的多核细胞。动态破骨细胞在很大程度上依赖于其MT细胞骨架来附着于骨，粘附并介导细胞外骨溶解。虽然最近对MT在破骨细胞功能中的作用进行了深入的研究，但对这些MT在细胞内的组织方式知之甚少。

The overall objective of my research program is to understand how microtubules (MTs) in differentiated cells contribute to their specialized functions. My NSERC research program studies bone cells and this proposal will examine the origin of MTs in osteoclasts. Osteoclasts are powerful cells charged with the function of degrading the dense, calcified bone matrix. Osteoclasts arise from the fusion of precursor cells and differentiate into large, multinucleated cells. The dynamic osteoclast relies heavily on its MT cytoskeleton to attach to bone, polarize and mediate extracellular bone dissolution. While there has been recent, intense research on the role of MTs in osteoclast function, very little is known about how these MTs organize within the cell.