Embryo

Haematopoiesis

Environmental health

Cell

Progenitor cell

Population

Biology

Yolk sac

Stem cell

Cell biology

Precursor cell

Bone marrow

In vitro

Immunology

Osteoclast

Genetics

Medicine

Nature Cell Biology

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage that degrade bone. Here, we used lineage tracing studies—labelling cells expressing Cx3cr1, Csf1r or Flt3—to identify the precursors of osteoclasts in mice. We identified an erythromyeloid progenitor (EMP)-derived osteoclast precursor population. Yolk-sac macrophages of EMP origin produced neonatal osteoclasts that can create a space for postnatal bone marrow haematopoiesis. Furthermore, EMPs gave rise to long-lasting osteoclast precursors that contributed to postnatal bone remodelling in both physiological and pathological settings. Our single-cell RNA-sequencing data showed that EMP-derived osteoclast precursors arose independently of the haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) lineage and the data from fate tracking of EMP and HSC lineages indicated the possibility of cell–cell fusion between these two lineages. Cx3cr1+ yolk-sac macrophage descendants resided in the adult spleen, and parabiosis experiments showed that these cells migrated through the bloodstream to the remodelled bone after injury. Yahara et al. show that yolk-sac macrophages, which are derived from erythromyeloid progenitors, produce neonatal osteoclasts that support bone homeostasis and repair and also provide long-lasting osteoclasts in adult bone.

Erythromyeloid progenitors give rise to a population of osteoclasts that contribute to bone homeostasis and repair