Bone morphogenetic protein 7

Protein coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Bone morphogenetic protein 7 or BMP7 (also known as osteogenic protein 1 or OP 1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BMP7 gene.

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the TGF β superfamily. Like other members of the bone morphogenetic protein family of proteins, it plays a key role in the transformation of mesenchymal cells into bone and cartilage. It is inhibited by noggin and a similar protein, chordin, which are expressed in the Spemann Mangold Organizer. BMP7 may be involved in bone homeostasis. It is expressed in the brain, kidneys and bladder. BMP7 induces the phosphorylation of SMAD1 and SMAD5, which in turn induce transcription of numerous osteogenic genes. It has been demonstrated that BMP7 treatment is sufficient to induce all of the genetic markers of osteoblast differentiation in many cell types. The epithelial tissue emerging from this MET process eventually forms the tubules and glomeruli of the nephron. This type of fibrosis often leads to renal failure, and is predictive of end stage renal disease. BMP7 has been discovered to be crucial in the determination of ventral dorsal organization in zebrafish. BMP7 causes the expression of ventral phenotypes while its complete inhibition creates a dorsal phenotype. Moreover, BMP7 is eventually partially "turned off" in embryonic development in order to create the dorsal parts of the organism. In many early developmental experiments using zebrafish, scientists used caBMPR (constitutively active) and tBMP (truncated receptor) to determine the effect of BMP7 in embryogenesis. They found that the constitutively active, which causes BMP to be expressed everywhere creates a ventralized phenotype, whereas truncated, dorsalized.

Human recombinant BMP7 has surgical uses and was originally marketed under the brand name OP1 (discontinued by Olympus Biotech, who bought it from Stryker). It can be used to aid in the fusion of vertebral bodies to prevent neurologic trauma. Also in the treatment of tibial non union, frequently in cases where a bone graft has failed. rhBMP 2 is much more widely used clinically because it helps grow bone better than rhBMP 7 and other BMPs. BMP7 also has the potential for treatment of chronic kidney disease. Kidney disease is characterized by derangement of the tubular architecture by both myofibroblast buildup and monocyte infiltration Because endogenous BMP 7 is an inhibitor of the TGF β signaling cascade that induces fibrosis, the use of exogenous recombinant BMP 7 (rhBMP 7) could be a viable treatment of chronic kidney disease.

It was discovered that mice injected with BMP7 increased their production of "good" brown fat cells, while keeping their levels of the normal white fat cells constant. A BMP7 therapy for obesity in humans may be developed as a result. BMP7 not only stimulates brown adipogenesis, it also stimulates the "browning" of brite or beige adipocytes, turning them from a white like phenotype into a brown like phenotype (with induction of UCP1 and able to perform non shivering thermogenesis, which allows to disperse energy as heat).

Several studies suggest that BMP7 may regulate or affect food intake.