Bone development

Question 1

Define osteoclast

Answer 1

An osteoclast is a bone-digesting cell

Question 2

Throughout life bone is being dissolved and replaced. How many times does this happen for each bone?

Answer 2

10 times

Question 3

What does the restructuring of bone involve?

Answer 3

The restructuring of bone involves bone material being removed from the interior of the medullary cavity and extra bone material being deposited on the outside of the bone. This ensures that as bones become larger they do not become too heavy.

Question 4

How is the bone that lines the medullary cavity digested?

Answer 4

Large bone-digesting cells (called osteoclasts) move about in the medullary cavity. They digest the bone that lines the cavity and deposit calcium from the bone into blood vessels. These are catabolic cells.

Question 5

What are catabolic cells?

Answer 5

osteoclasts digest the bone that lines the medullary cavity

Question 6

What replaces the bone that is digested by osteoclasts?

Answer 6

Osteoblasts form new bone to replace the bone that is destroyed.

Question 7

What 2 things work together to enlarge the medullary cavity and thicken the compact bone lining it?

Answer 7

Bone-digesting cells and osteoblasts work in conjunction to enlarge the medullary cavity and thicken the compact bone lining it.

Question 8

Bone digesting cells and osteoblasts work in conjunction to do what to compact bone?

Answer 8

Bone-digesting cells and osteoblasts work in conjunction to enlarge the medullary cavity and thicken the compact bone lining it.