Effects of growth factors and cytokines on osteoblast differentiation

In summary, the osteoblast lineage consists of mesenchymal stem cells which exhibit self-renewal and may include both multipotent cells and those of more restricted potentials. Commitment of these cells to the osteoblast lineage is likely to be mediated by the transcription factor TAZ, resulting in committed monopotent osteoprogenitor cells with extensive proliferative capacity. Differentiation of the mature osteoblast is ultimately regulated by transcription factors, including Cbfa-1/Runx-2 and osterix. A diagramatic schema of the osteoblast lineage and its features is shown in Fig. 2.