Circadian rhythm of mechanically mediated differentiation of osteoblasts
The differential of osteoblasts in response to orthodontic pressure in the periodontal ligament of the maxillary-first-molar periodontal ligaments of 12-h-light/dark-entrained 7-wk-old male Simonsen outbred rats is measured by (H-3)-Thymidine nuclear-volume morphometry (Roberts et al., 1983) at hourly intervals throughout the circadian cycle. The results are presented in graphs and discussed. Preosteoblast large nuclei (D-cells) are found to synthesize DNA mainly in light and to divide in the following dark period, while small-nucleus osteoprogenitors (A-cells) synthesize in darkness and divide in light. These findings are seen as consistent with a model in which the sequence of proliferation and differentiation requires at least 60 h (five 12-h periods) and the shift from A to D cells lasts about 19 h.