BONE CELL IMAGES

Colour artwork of normal anatomy within the musculoskeletal system. The capillary containing the red blood cells (top of the image) is closely related to developing bone. The star shapes are osteocytes and osteoblast cells. Osteoblasts are responsible for the production of new bone tissue (small oval beige cells); once the bone is fully formed the cells become trapped within the tissue they secrete and form star- shaped osteocytes. Credit: Medical Art Service, Munich, Wellcome Images. BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM Bone anatomy

Structure of an osteocyte situated in the cortex of a mouse tibia bone. Osteocytes are derived from osteoblasts - the cells that form new bone. This image is a ‘mould’. The bone was embedded in resin, which was subsequently etched with perchloric acid, removing the entire mineral in the sample and leaving a replica of the area. Therefore, what is observed is the resin that filled the spaces in the bone and the spaces inside the cells. Credit: Kevin MacKenzie, University of Aberdeen, Wellcome Images. BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM Mouse osteocyte

Polarised light microscopy image of bone showing osteocyte lacunae, the small holes that the cells occupy, within cancellous (spongy) bone. Credit: Karin Hing, Wellcome Images. BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM Osteocyte lacunae in bone

Fluorescence microscopy image of osteocytes taken from the calvarial bone of a five-day-old mouse. Calvarial refers to the cranium and is the bone that makes up the skull. Osteoblasts originate in bone marrow and contribute to the production of new bone. These cells build up bone matrix. As bone is continually being reabsorbed and regenerated, these cells are crucial and are continually being produced by the body. Credit: Kevin MacKenzie, University of Aberdeen, Wellcome Images. BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM Mouse osteocyte

Fluorescence microscopy image of osteoblast cells. Osteoblasts originate in bone marrow and contribute to the production of new bone. These cells build up bone matrix. As bone is continually being reabsorbed and regenerated, these are crucial. Osteoblasts make up bone and osteoclasts break it down. This image shows the osteoblasts cells fluorescently stained with antibodies that mark actin (purple) and DAPI highlighting the nucleus (yellow). Credit: Kevin MacKenzie, University of Aberdeen, Wellcome Images. BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM Osteoblast cells

Reusing our images Images and illustrations Image research by Laura Pastorelli; captions by Chrissie Giles, adapted from Wellcome ImagesWellcome Images All images, unless otherwise indicated, are from Wellcome Images. Contemporary images are free to use for educational purposes (they have a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-commercial, No derivatives licence). Please make sure you credit them as we have done on the site; the format is ‘Creator’s name, Wellcome Images’.Creative Commons Attribution, Non-commercial, No derivatives licence Historical images have a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence: they’re free to use in any way as long as they’re credited to ‘Wellcome Library, London’.Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence Flickr images that we have used have a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, meaning we – and you – are free to use in any way as long as the original owner is credited.Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence Cartoon illustrations are © Glen McBeth. We commission Glen to produce these illustrations for ‘Big Picture’. He is happy for teachers and students to use his illustrations in a classroom setting, but for other uses, permission must be sought. We source other images from photo libraries such as Science Photo Library, Corbis and iStock and will acknowledge in an image’s credit if this is the case. We do not hold the rights to these images, so if you would like to reproduce them, you will need to contact the photo library directly. If you’re unsure about whether you can use or republish a piece of content, just get in touch with us at