Background
BMPs(BoneMorphogeneticProteins)belongtotheTGF-betasuperfamilyofstructurallyrelatedsignalingproteins.BMP-2isapotentosteoinductivecytokine,capableofinducingboneandcartilageformationinassociationwithosteoconductivecarrierssuchascollagenandsynthetichydroxyapatite.Inadditiontoitsosteogenicactivity,BMP-2playsanimportantroleincardiacmorphogenesisandisexpressedinavarietyoftissuesincludinglung,spleen,brain,liver,prostateovaryandsmallintestine.ThefunctionalformofBMP-2isa26kDaproteincomposedoftwoidentical114aminoacidpolypeptidechainslinkedbyasingledisulfidebond.EachBMP-2monomerisexpressedastheC-terminalpartofaprecursorpolypeptide,whichalsocontainsa23aminoacidsignalsequenceforsecretion,anda259aminoacidpropeptide.Afterdimerizationofthisprecursor,thecovalentbondsbetweenthepropeptide(whichisalsoadisulfide-linkedhomodimer)andthematureBMP-2ligandarecleavedbyafurin-typeprotease.RecombinanthumanBMP-2isa26.0kDahomodimericproteinconsistingoftwo115aminoacidpolypeptidechains.
Specifications