Muscle cells identified as key contributors to bone fracture repair

Researchers have identified that latent progenitor cells within skeletal muscle play a critical role in repairing bone fractures. According to a study published in the journal ‘Bone Research’, fibroadipogenic progenitors (FAP) and a smaller population of superficial periosteal cells migrate to the site of a fracture to assist in the healing process.

While bone repair was previously thought to depend primarily on cells within the skeleton itself, these findings show that FAP cells, which normally remain inactive, transform into osteoblasts—the cells responsible for manufacturing new bone tissue—following an injury. Dr. Ugur M. Ayturk of the Orthopaedic and Skeletal Health Research Program noted that these extra-skeletal cells could represent a ‘promising therapeutic target’ to enhance fracture healing.

To track this process, scientists utilized the Clec3b protein as a highly specific marker for these latent progenitor cells. Observations indicated that while these cells do not move during normal bone growth, they migrate rapidly to the injury site after a fracture occurs.