Expression of bone morphogenetic protein-4 mRNA during the process of bone formation in embryogenesis and fracture...

Bone morphogenetic protein-4 is a potent inducer of ectopic bone and cartilage formation in vivo. Expression of the bone morphogenetic protein-4 gene has been detected in bone cells during fracture repair but not in normal adult bone cells. To examine whether the gene is expressed by bone cells during embryonic development, in situ hybridization and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction methods were used to detect murine bone morphogenetic protein-4 specific complementary DNA in murine developmental bone tissues. Bone morphogenetic protein-4 messenger RNA was detected in the cells of various developing bone tissues, but it was not detected in these tissues after birth. Combined with previous reports, our findings indicate that the bone morphogenetic protein-4 gene is expressed during embryogenesis and bone repair and suggest that its product may be a potent bone-forming factor in bone development and fracture repair.