Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7), also known as osteogenic protein 1 (OP-1), is a widely expressed TGF-beta superfamily member with important functions during embryogenesis, in the adult, and in disease . Human BMP-7 is synthesized with a 29 amino acid (aa) signal sequence, a 263 aa propeptide, and a 139 aa growth factor domain . The growth factor domain of human BMP-7 shares 98% aa sequence identity with mouse and rat BMP-7. The BMP-7 propeptide is cleaved intracellularly but often remains associated with the mature C-terminus.
