[Historical background and recent advance in BMP research]

In 1971, Uurist gave the name bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) to the factor in bone matrix, which retains the activity to induce ectopic bone formation. After that, BMP research has rapidly developed by achieving BMP purification, BMP cloning, and identification of BMP receptors and signal transuding molecules (Smads). In this review, I overview the historical background and recent advance in BMP research.