Bone morphogenetic protein 4—a fascinating regulator of cancer cell behavior

A Kallioniemi - Cancer genetics, 2012 - Elsevier
Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are extracellular signaling molecules that belong to
the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) superfamily and are well-known for their
indispensable roles in vertebrate development. In recent years, important new information
has been generated on the contribution of BMP family members, such as BMP4, in cancer
pathogenesis. First of all, BMP4 gene variants have been shown to predispose to colorectal
cancer. In sporadic cancer, BMP4 expression levels are commonly altered in many tumor …