Endocytosis and trafficking of BMP receptors: regulatory mechanisms for fine-tuning the signaling response in different cellular contexts.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily (TGFβ_SF) which is characterized by the structural resemblance of its ligands and receptors, and by the similarity of mechanisms of intracellular signal transduction [1–5]. The basic signaling module of the TGFβ_SF is evolutionarily conserved (present already in cnidarians [6]) and consists of two types of single-spanning serine threonine kinase receptors (types I and II), and 3 types of Smad proteins (R-Smads, Co-Smad, and I-Smad).
Source: Cytokine and Growth Factor Reviews - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Tags: Survey Source Type: research