U. Ripamonti et Ah. Reddi, PERIODONTAL REGENERATION - POTENTIAL ROLE OF BONE MORPHOGENETIC PROTEINS, Journal of Periodontal Research, 29(4), 1994, pp. 225-235
Initiation of osteogenesis and cementogenesis is a problem central to
periodontal regeneration. A major advance in the understanding of bone
formation has been the identification of an entirely new family of pr
otein initiators, the bone morphogenetic proteins, that regulate carti
lage and bone differentiation in vivo. The purification, genetic cloni
ng and expression of recombinant human bone morphogenetic proteins (BM
Ps) have laid the foundation for the cellular and molecular dissection
of bone development and regeneration. The striking evolutionary conse
rvation of the BMP genes indicates that they are critical in the norma
l development and function of animals. In addition to postfetal osteog
enesis, the BMPs may play multiple roles in embryonic development and
organogenesis, including skeletogenesis and the development of craniof
acial and dental tissues. The availability of recombinant human BMPs p
rovides several challenges and opportunities to gain insights into the
mechanisms regulating the regeneration of bone and cementum for optim
al outcome in the periodontal patient.