Musculoskeletal Embryology Lab

Question 1

Define appositional growth.

Answer 1

• increase in girth/width of a bone
• seen during development and in fractures
• chondroblasts deposit collagen matrix on cartilage beneath the periosteum and add bone width wise

Question 2

Define interstitial growth.

Answer 2

• increase in length

- result of growth plate of cartilage model during growth period up until puberty

Question 3

What happens during endochondral ossification?

Answer 3

Cartilage model is laid down as a precursor to bone

Question 4

What is intramembranous ossification?

Answer 4

• cartilage not involved

- condensation of mesenchyme straight to bone

Question 5

What is mesenchyme?

Answer 5

• connective tissue formed from the mesoderm

- highly migratory and essentially a stem cell population for the musculoskeletal system

Question 6

What are osteoprogenitor cells?

Answer 6

• aka osteogenic cells
• stem cells located in the bone that play an important role in bone growth and repair
• precursors to more specialised osteocytes and osteoblasts
• differentiate from mesenchymal stem cells

Question 7

What is the myotome during development?

Answer 7

Part of the somite that forms the muscles