(OHS-tee-o-sit') A type of bone cell characterized by its immobile location within a lacunus and by a reduced ability to produce bone matrix.
A cell located in lacunae of vertebrate bone, that deposits a matrix of collagen and calcium phosphate that forms a mineralized connective tissue.
a cell within regions of adult bone involved in the maintenance of bone.
cell found within the bone; its function is to help maintain bone as living tissue.
An osteocyte, a star-shaped cell, is the most abundant cell found in bone. Once osteoblasts become trapped in the matrix they secrete, they become osteocytes. Osteocytes are networked to each other via long processes that occupy tiny canals called canaliculi, which are used for exchange of nutrients and waste.
