A study of intercellular relationships between trabecular bone and marrow stromal cells in the murine femoral metaphysis.

The cellular relationship between the substantia spongiosa of bone (cancellous or trabecular bone) and the haematopoietic bone marrow in the femoral metaphysis of C57BL/6NJCL mice was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Special attention was directed to intercellular junctions between osteocytes, osteoblasts, and bone marrow reticular cells. These were gap junctions and adhesive devices of simple architecture referred to as primitive junctions or zonula adherens-like junctions. Gap junctions were observed between osteocytes (within the trabeculae) and osteoblasts (at the trabecular surface) and between osteoblasts and marrow reticular cells. Gap junctions were also observed between the same cell type within each of these categories. These junctions involved the plasmalemmal membranes of adjacent cell bodies and of processes. Primitive cell junctions had a similar cellular distribution. Quantitative analysis of the cell types covering or positioned around the trabecular bones and of gap junctions between these and other cells was carried out by TEM. It was found that osteoblasts were the most numerous cell type, occupying 31% of the total of each cell type positively identified around the trabeculae (31%), while pre-osteoblasts, (flattened bone marrow reticular cells) took up 26%. These data emphasise the intimate relationship of the various mesenchymal cells based on processes and intercellular junctions, and point to an anatomical and probably functional integration of trabeculae and marrow. The functional significance and putative regulatory activity of this unit are discussed.