Effects of bone morphogenic proteins on neural precursor cells and regulation during central nervous system injury

Abstract

Bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) are well known for their influence on cell fate determination, proliferation and differentiation during early embryogenesis. Here, we review evidence for BMPs playing an additional, ongoing role in the proliferation and differentiation of neural precursor and progenitor cells in postnatal and adult central nervous system (CNS) and in CNS injury. The effects of BMPs on CNS cells have been studied using primary cultures of neural precursor and oligodendrocyte lineage cells. In addition, transgenic mice have been used to investigate in vivo effects of altering BMP pathway activation, and rodent models of CNS injury have been used to examine endogenous regulation..