IDENTIFICATION OF RAT BONE MORPHOGENETIC PROTEIN-3B (BMP-3B), A NEW MEMBER OF BMP-3

Rat bone morphogenetic protein-3 (BMP-3) cDNA and BMP-3b cDNA were iso lated from rat femur cDNA library by the RT-PCR method using degenerat e oligonucleotide primers corresponding to human BMP-3. The deduced am ino acid sequence of rat BMP-3 in the mature region reveals 2 amino ac id changes compared to that of human BMP-3 (98% identity). The deduced BMP-3b amino acid sequence shows 81% similarity with the mature regio n of rat BMP-3 and only 37% similarity with the propeptide region. By Northern blot analysis, rat BMP-3b mRNA was detected in costa, costica rtilage, femur, calvaria, trachea, aorta and brain. Among these tissue s, BMP-3b transcripts were predominantly expressed in cerebellum. BMP- 3 mRNA was found in femur, calvaria, trachea, lung and ovary. Although BMP-3b and BMP-3 are very closely related to each other, their transc ripts are distributed in different tissues except that both are found in bone. The distribution pattern of BMP-Sb mRNA suggests that BMP-3b plays an important role in the central nervous system as well as in bo ne formation and remodeling. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.