cmungall/uberon — Issue #32: long bone definition
Author: wdahdul
Created: 2011-10-12 19:29:48+00:00
State: open

The current definition of long bone (see below) needs to be broadened to apply across vertebrates that have them. From discussions with Paul, only mammals have epiphyseal plates (growth plates), cancellous bone is not present in all vertebrates, and can't claim that they have cartilage at the end, because in birds, some long bones connect to tendons.

Here's a draft definition for the time being:

*Long bone is a limb bone that is subcylindrical and has a shaft with periosteum separating the ends of the bones. Long bones are present only in the limbs.

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[Term]
id: UBERON:0002495
name: long bone
alt_id: UBERON:MA_0002802-FMA_7474
def: "those that are longer than they are wide, and grow primarily by elongation of the diaphysis, with an epiphysis at the ends of the growing bone. The ends of epiphyses are covered with a hyaline cartilage ('articular cartilage'). The longitudinal growth of long bones is a result of endochondral ossification at the epiphyseal plate. Bone growth in length is stimulated by the production of growth hormone (GH), a secretion of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The long bones include the femurs, tibias, and fibulas of the legs, the humeri, radii, and ulnas of the arms, metacarpals and metatarsals of the hands and feet, and the phalanges of the fingers and toes. The long bones of the human leg comprise nearly half of adult height. The other primary skeletal component of height is the spine and skull. The outside of the bone consists of a layer of connective tissue called the periosteum. Additionally, the outer shell of the long bone is compact bone, then a deeper layer of cancellous bone (spongy bone) which contains red bone marrow. The interior part of the long bone is the medullary cavity with the inner core of the bone cavity being composed of (in adults) of yellow marrow. There are five general classifications of bones: (1) Long bones, (2) Short bones, (3) Flat bones, (4) Irregular bones, and (5) Sesamoid bones[WP]." [Wikipedia:Long_bone]
comment: Endochondral_ossification is an essential process during the rudimentary formation of long bones, with the exception of the clavicle[Wikipedia:Endochondral_ossification]. The medial and and lateral ends undergo EO, the mid-portion is formed by a process with features of EO & IO (the process is shared by the mandible)[ISBN:9780397517251]
subset: uberon_slim
xref: BTO:0004256
xref: FMA:7474
xref: galen:LongBone
xref: MA:0002802
xref: ncithesaurus:Long_Bone
xref: OpenCyc:Mx4rv6axr5wpEbGdrcN5Y29ycA
xref: SCTID:332709000
is_a: UBERON:0001474 ! bone
relationship: part_of UBERON:0002091 ! appendicular skeleton