New intracellular components of bone morphogenetic protein/Smad signaling cascades.
Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) regulate many processes in the embryo, including cell type specification, patterning, apoptosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. They also act in soft and hard tissues in adult life. Their signals are transduced from the plasma membrane to the nucleus through a limited number of Smad proteins. The list of Smad-interacting proteins is however growing and it is clear that these partners determine the outcome of the signal. We summarize the present status in BMP/Smad signaling, with emphasis on recently identified Smad partners and how these proteins may cooperate in the regulation of the expression of BMP target genes.
Zwijsen
An
A
Department of Developmental Biology (VIB7), Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. an.zwijsen@med.kuleuven.ac.be
Verschueren
Kristin
K
Huylebroeck
Danny
D
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D019521:Body Patterning; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D004848:Epithelium; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051785:Smad Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism
D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051785:Smad Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta