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Fracture healing as a post‐natal developmental process: Molecular, spatial, and temporal aspects of its regulation
Author(s) -
Gerstenfeld Louis C.,
Cullinane Dennis M.,
Barnes George L.,
Graves Dana T.,
Einhorn Thomas A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/jcb.10435
Subject(s) - bone healing , biology , bone morphogenetic protein , embryonic stem cell , embryogenesis , process (computing) , microbiology and biotechnology , wound healing , neuroscience , bioinformatics , anatomy , immunology , genetics , embryo , gene , computer science , operating system
Fracture healing is a specialized post‐natal repair process that recapitulates aspects of embryological skeletal development. While many of the molecular mechanisms that control cellular differentiation and growth during embryogenesis recur during fracture healing, these processes take place in a post‐natal environment that is unique and distinct from those which exist during embryogenesis. This Prospect Article will highlight a number of central biological processes that are believed to be crucial in the embryonic differentiation and growth of skeletal tissues and review the functional role of these processes during fracture healing. Specific aspects of fracture healing that will be considered in relation to embryological development are: (1) the anatomic structure of the fracture callus as it evolves during healing; (2) the origins of stem cells and morphogenetic signals that facilitate the repair process; (3) the role of the biomechanical environment in controlling cellular differentiation during repair; (4) the role of three key groups of soluble factors, pro‐inflammatory cytokines, the TGF‐β superfamily, and angiogenic factors, during repair; and (5) the relationship of the genetic components that control bone mass and remodeling to the mechanisms that control skeletal tissue repair in response to fracture. J. Cell. Biochem. 88: 873–884, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.