[PDF][PDF] Bone morphogenetic proteins: multifunctional regulators of vertebrate development.

BL Hogan - Genes & development, 1996 - scholar.archive.org
Genes & development, 1996scholar.archive.org
A recurrent theme in embryonic development and tissue regeneration is that cells
communicate with each other using just a handful of conserved families of signaling
molecules. One of the largest of these multifunctional families is that of the bone
morphogenetic proteins (BMPs); with> 20 members identified in organisms rang ing from
sea urchin to mammals (Fig. 1). The name BMP was first given to three proteins purified from
a demineralized bovine bone preparation that induced ectopic cartilage and endochondral …
A recurrent theme in embryonic development and tissue regeneration is that cells communicate with each other using just a handful of conserved families of signaling molecules. One of the largest of these multifunctional families is that of the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs); with> 20 members identified in organisms rang ing from sea urchin to mammals (Fig. 1). The name BMP was first given to three proteins purified from a demineralized bovine bone preparation that induced ectopic cartilage and endochondral bone when implanted in ex perimental animals (Wozney et al. 1988). One of these proteins (BMPl) was a putative protease of the astacin family, whereas the other two (BMP2 and BMPS) were related to human transforming growth factor p (TGPp). It is now clear that the name BMP is misleading because there is strong genetic and experimental evidence that these molecules regulate biological processes as diverse as cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, cell-fate determination, and morphogenesis. Moreover, the verte brate BMPs are involved in the development of nearly all organs and tissues, including the nervous system, somites, lung, kidney, skin, and gonads, as well as in critical steps in the establishment of the basic embry onic body plan.
This review focuses on recent studies related to BMP function in vertebrates, particularly those involving mu tations of BMP-encoding genes in mice. Additional in formation about the larger TGFp superfamily can be found in other reviews (Kingsley 1994a, b; McPherron and Lee 1996). The complexity of the numerous trans membrane serine-threonine kinases that act as BMP sig naling receptors precludes full discussion here, but again, a number of excellent reviews are available, in addition to those cited above {Massague et al. 1994; Massague and Weis-Garcia 1996)
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