steps in longitudinal bone growth at the epiphyseal plate
Epiphyseal plate
Endochondral ossification is responsible for the initial bone development from cartilage in utero and infants and the longitudinal growth of long bones in the epiphyseal plate . The plate 's chondrocytes are under constant division by mitosis . These daughter cells stack facing the epiphysis while the older cells are pushed towards the diaphysis . As the older chondrocytes degenerate , osteoblasts ossify the remains to form new bone . In puberty increasing levels of estrogen , in both females and males , leads to increased apoptosis of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate . Depletion of chondrocytes due to apoptosis leads to less ossification and growth slows down and later stops when the entire cartilage have become replaced by bone , leaving only a thin epiphyseal scar which later disappears . 
Endochondral ossification is responsible for the initial bone development from cartilage in utero and infants and the longitudinal growth of long bones in the epiphyseal plate . The plate 's chondrocytes are under constant division by mitosis . These daughter cells stack facing the epiphysis while the older cells are pushed towards the diaphysis . As the older chondrocytes degenerate , osteoblasts ossify the remains to form new bone . In puberty increasing levels of estrogen , in both females and males , leads to increased apoptosis of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate . Depletion of chondrocytes due to apoptosis leads to less ossification and growth slows down and later stops when the entire cartilage have become replaced by bone , leaving only a thin epiphyseal scar which later disappears .
There are several steps to longitudinal bone growth at the epiphyseal plate. First in utero there is endochondral ossification. The plate 's chondrocytes are under constant division by mitosis and as the older chondrocytes degenerate , osteoblasts ossify to form new bone . In puberty hormone levels lead to increased apoptosis of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate . Later depletion of chondrocytes due to apoptosis leads to less ossification and growth stops when the entire cartilage is replaced by bone.
Endochondral ossification is responsible for the initial bone development from cartilage in utero and infants and the longitudinal growth of long bones in the epiphyseal plate . The plate 's chondrocytes are under constant division by mitosis . As the older chondrocytes degenerate , osteoblasts ossify the remains to form new bone . In puberty increasing levels of estrogen , in both females and males , leads to increased apoptosis of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate . Depletion of chondrocytes due to apoptosis leads to less ossification and growth slows down and later stops when the entire cartilage have become replaced by bone , leaving only a thin epiphyseal scar which later disappears .
There are several steps to longitudinal bone growth at the epiphyseal plate. In utero there is endochondral ossification. The plate 's chondrocytes are under constant division by mitosis and as the older chondrocytes degenerate , osteoblasts ossify to form new bone . In puberty hormone levels lead to increased apoptosis of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate . Later depletion of chondrocytes due to apoptosis leads to less ossification and growth stops when the entire cartilage is replaced by bone.
Endochondral ossification is responsible for the initial bone development from cartilage in utero and infants and the longitudinal growth of long bones in the epiphyseal plate . The plate 's chondrocytes are under constant division by mitosis . As the older chondrocytes degenerate , osteoblasts ossify the remains to form new bone . In puberty increasing levels of estrogen , in both females and males , leads to increased apoptosis of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate . Depletion of chondrocytes due to apoptosis leads to less ossification and growth slows down and later stops when the entire cartilage have become replaced by bone , leaving only a thin epiphyseal scar which later disappears .