Osteoclasts Georg Schett Department of Internal Medicine III and Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany Corresponding author: Georg Schett, Published: 15 February 2007 This article is online at © 2007 BioMed Central Ltd Arthritis Research & Therapy 2007, 9:203 (doi:) Abstract Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells of hematopoietic origin and are the primary bone resorbing cells. Numerous osteoclasts are found within the synovial tissue at sites adjacent to bone, creating resorption pits and local bone destruction. They are equipped with specific enzymes and a proton pump that enable them to degrade bone matrix and solubilize calcium, respectively. The synovial tissue of inflamed joints. | Available online http content 9 1 203 Review Cells of the synovium in rheumatoid arthritis Osteoclasts Georg Schett Department of Internal Medicine III and Institute for Clinical Immunology University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Erlangen Germany Corresponding author Georg Schett Published 15 February 2007 This article is online at http content 9 1 203 2007 BioMed Central Ltd Arthritis Research Therapy 2007 9 203 doi ar2110 Abstract Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells of hematopoietic origin and are the primary bone resorbing cells. Numerous osteoclasts are found within the synovial tissue at sites adjacent to bone creating resorption pits and local bone destruction. They are equipped with specific enzymes and a proton pump that enable them to degrade bone matrix and solubilize calcium respectively. The synovial tissue of inflamed joints has a particularly high potential to accumulate osteoclasts because it harbors monocytes macrophages which function as osteoclast precursors as well as cells that provide the specific molecular signals that drive osteoclast formation. Osteoclasts thus represent a link between joint inflammation and structural damage since they resorb mineralized tissue adjacent to the joint and destroy the joint architecture. Introduction Practically all disciplines in medicine are exposed to trends which focus on a certain aspect of a disease while other aspects attract less interest. Rheumatology is not spared from such gradients in scientific interest. When reviewing rheumatology it appears that research interests time-dependently switch from one topic to another as if they represent television programs selected by the remote control of the scientists of the field. B cells comprise one example these had been of particular interest after the detection of rheumatoid factor as an autoantibody in rheumatoid arthritis RA decades ago before entering a sleep mode .
