Rabbit polyclonal antibody to BMP~7 (E173)

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) were first identified as molecules that can induce ectopic bone and cartilage formation. BMPs belong to the TGF~β superfamily, playing many diverse functions during development. BMPs are synthesized as precursor proteins and then processed by cleavage to release the C~terminal mature BMP. BMPs initiate signaling by binding to a receptor complex containing type I and type II serine/threonine receptor kinases that then phosphorylate Smad (mainly Smad1, 5, and 8), resulting in the translocation of Smad into the nucleus. BMP was also reported to activate MAPK pathways in some systems.BMP7, also known as osteogenic protein~1 (OP~1), is found to be upregulated in some cancer cells, and may play a role in cancer metastasis.