| Summary: | Members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family have diverse
physiological roles. For instance, BMP-2 stimulates osteogenesis, while BMP-12 induces
the formation of tendon/ligament-like tissues. Here, we designed a study to determine
whether BMP-12 has bone and/or cartilage regeneration abilities similar to those of
BMP-2. We implanted plasmid vectors encoding either BMP-2 or BMP-12 in rats with femur
defects, and monitored the bone healing process for 8-weeks. The BMP-12 transgene
induced prominent fibrogenesis by 2 weeks, with bone substitution occurring by 8 weeks.
BMP-2, however, was associated predominantly with osteogenesis throughout the 8 week
period. Thus, we conclude that BMP-12 does not function similarly to BMP-2 during bone
healing. Further work is needed to better understand the mechanisms by which it
stimulates bony growths to replace the connective tissues formed during the first stages
of bone healing.
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