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Transforming Growth Factor-β Gene Family Members and Bone*

1994; Oxford University Press; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1210/edrv-15-1-27

1945-7189

Michael Centrella, Mark C. Horowitz, John M. Wozney, Thomas L. McCarthy,

Connective Tissue Growth Factor Research

EARLY efforts to purify a bone-derived growth factor from rat bone culture medium revealed its biological and biochemical similarity to transforming growth factor-β type 1 (TGF-β1) extracted from human blood platelets. Cartilage inducing factors (CIF-A and CIF-B) from bovine bone matrix were then identified as TGF-β isoforms, and it soon became evident that bone cells synthesize TGF-βs and that bone matrix was a major repository of these factors in the organism. The TGF-β supergene family comprises at least five closely related proteins termed TGF-β1 through TGF-β5 in addition to a growing number of more distant but highly homologous growth regulators. Several of the closely related TGF-β isoforms occur in many animals, and appear to control development, growth, and differentiation in humans as well as a variety of other species. More importantly from the skeletal tissue perspective, some of the less closely related gene family members, activin-A and the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), are also expressed by bone cells, stored in bone matrix, and increase bone cell activity in vivo and in vitro.