The incidence of tendon re-tears post-surgery is an ever present complication. It is suggested that the application of biological factors, such as bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7), can reduce complication rates by promoting tenogenic characteristics in in vitro studies. However, there remains a dearth of information in regards to the mechanisms of BMP-7 signalling in tenocytes. Using primar...

We investigated the action of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3)], a novel Gemini vitamin D(3) analog Ro-438-3582 [1alpha,25-dihydroxy-20S-21(3-hydroxy-3-methyl-butyl)-23-yne-26,27-hexafluorocholecalciferol (Ro3582)], and a classic vitamin D(3) analog Ro-26-2198 [1alpha,25-dihydroxy-16,23(Z)-diene-26,27-hexafluoro-19-nor-cholecalciferol (Ro2198)] in modulating the transformin...

BMP signaling is essential for promoting self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells and Drosophila germline stem cells and for repressing stem cell proliferation in the mouse intestine and skin. However, it remains unknown whether BMP signaling can promote self-renewal of adult somatic stem cells. In this study, we show that BMP signaling is necessary and sufficient for promoting self-renewal a...

RATIONALE The importance for Bmp signaling during embryonic stem cell differentiation into myocardial cells has been recognized. The question when and where Bmp signaling in vivo regulates myocardial differentiation has remained largely unanswered. OBJECTIVE To identify when and where Bmp signaling regulates cardiogenic differentiation. METHODS AND RESULTS Here we have observed that in zebr...

Regulation of synaptic growth is fundamental to the formation and plasticity of neural circuits. Here, we demonstrate that Nervous wreck (Nwk), a negative regulator of synaptic growth at Drosophila NMJs, interacts functionally and physically with components of the endocytic machinery, including dynamin and Dap160/intersectin, and negatively regulates retrograde BMP growth signaling through a di...

Protein kinase ALK3/BMPR1A mediates bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling through phosphorylation and activation of SMADs 1/5/8. SMAD6, a transcriptional target of BMP, negatively regulates the BMP pathway by recruiting E3 ubiquitin ligases and targeting ALK3 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Here, we identify a deubiquitylating enzyme USP15 as an interactor of SMAD6 and ALK3. We show t...

Cow-calf operations are a source of excessive Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) loadings in the Lake Okeechobee basin, Florida (USA). A study was conducted at a beef-cattle ranch to evaluate ditch fencing and culvert crossing (DFCC) as a best management practice (BMP) implemented to improve downstream water quality. The BMP was implemented within a ditch section of 170 m in the ranch. The concent...

Current therapies for tissue regeneration rely on the presence or direct delivery of growth factors to sites of repair. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), combined with a carrier (usually collagen), is clinically proven to induce new bone formation during spinal fusion and nonunion repair. However, due to BMP-2's short half-life and its diffusive properties, orders of magnitude above physiol...

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling contributes to the development of cardiac hypertrophy. However, the identity of the BMP type I receptor involved in cardiac hypertrophy and the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. By using quantitative PCR and immunoblotting, we demonstrated that BMP signaling increased during phenylephrine-induced hypertrophy in cultured neonatal ra...