Osteoblast-lineage cells regulate metabolism and fat mass

As energy depots in many circumstances have been limited during evolution, it is necessary to prioritize how to manage energy resources. In this review we summarize data from the last 15 years indicating that osteoblast-lineage cells are regulators of whole-body energy metabolism and fat mass. We focus mainly on three factors, osteocalcin, lipocalin-2 and sclerostin, that are released by osteoblast-lineage cells and proposed to exert endocrine effects on metabolism. In addition, we present a hypothesis on why osteoblast-lineage cells during evolution have developed a function to regulate metabolism and fat mass. We propose that osteoblast-lineage cells through the osteocyte network in bone are sensors of gravitational forces induced by body mass and gravity on land-living species. By sensing the body weight, the osteoblastlineage cells may then feed-back this information on the whole-body nutritional status via osteoblast-derived endocrine factors or via the nervous system to regulate energy metabolism and fat mass.