title: Bone morphogenetic protein-7 from serum of pregnant mice is available to the fetus through placental transfer during early stages of development.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  BMP-7 is an important mediator of metanephric mesenchyme differentiation during kidney development. Gene knockout studies have shown that BMP-7 null mutation mice die shortly after birth due to renal failure, although the induction of metanephric structures has initially occurred (E11-E13).
  
  
  METHODS
  Iodinated BMP-7 was injected into the tail vein of pregnant mice and its availability to tissues and fetuses was further analyzed by tissue uptake, LM autoradiography and SDS-PAGE electrophoresis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Studies on the distribution of 125I-BMP-7 injected through the tail vein of pregnant mice indicated that 125I-BMP-7 passed across the placenta and localized in developing fetal organs, in particular kidneys, up to day 14 of gestation. At later stages of pregnancy 125I-BMP-7 did not pass the trophoblasts of the placental barrier and did not enter the fetal blood vessels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analysis of the distribution of 125I-BMP-7 from pregnant mice to fetal organs, in particular the kidney, suggests a cross-over of maternal circulating BMP-7 to the fetus through the placental barrier.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Medical School University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Fran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Borovecki
authors.forename: Mislav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jelic
authors.forename: Lovorka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grgurevic
authors.forename: Kuber T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Sampath
authors.forename: Dattatreyamurty
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bosukonda
authors.forename: Slobodan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vukicevic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D055419:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000737:chemistry; D005865:Gestational Age; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D051379:Mice; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry; D011247:Pregnancy; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D055419:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta