Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4, Recombinant, Human (BMP4, BMP-2B)
Description
The BMPs belong to the TGF- Beta superfamily, whose members are widely represented throughout the animal kingdom. The BMPs are important regulators of key events in the processes of bone formation during embryogenesis, postnatal growth, remodeling and regeneration of the skeleton. The BMPs function by binding to a receptor complex that is found on all normal cells and is composed of type-I and -II receptors. The primary unit of bone formation is osteoblast, the bone-forming cell. These osteoblast cells respond to physical loading by transducing signals that alter gene expression patterns, and Cbfa (core binding factor), the osteoblast specific transcription factor plays an important role in osteoblast differentiation and function. Localization studies in both human and mouse tissues have demonstrated high levels of mRNA expression and protein synthesis for various BMPs in kidney, heart, lung, small intestine, limb bud and teeth. Several BMPs have been implicated in early skeletal devel