Potential Functions of the BMP Family in Bone, Obesity, and Glucose Metabolism

Characteristic bone metabolism was observed in obesity and diabetes with controversial conclusions. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and obesity may manifest increased bone mineral density. Also, obesity is more easily to occur in T2DM. Therefore, we infer that some factors may be linked to bone and obesity as well as glucose metabolism, which regulate all of them. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), belonging to the transforming growth factor- (TGF-) beta superfamily, regulate a diverse array of cellular functions during development and in the adult. More and more studies revealed that there exists a relationship between bone metabolism and obesity as well as glucose metabolism. BMP2, BMP4, BMP6, BMP7, and BMP9 have been shown to affect the pathophysiological process of obesity and glucose metabolism beyond bone metabolism. They may exert functions in adipogenesis and differentiation as well as insulin resistance. In the review, we summarize the literature on these BMPs and their association with metabolic diseases including obesity and diabetes.