During human fetal development, autocrine TGF-beta(1) regulates the synthes
is of specific collagen types by intestinal smooth muscle cells in an age-d
ependent manner. Vgr-1/BMP6, a member of the TGF-beta superfamily, modulate
s epithelial, endochondral and neural tissue development in mice: a related
peptide is essential to gut morphogenesis in Drosophila. This is the first
study to detect vgr-1/BMP-6 during human intestinal organogenesis. Polyclo
nal antibodies to the precursor and mature fragments of vgr-1 were used in
immunohistochemical studies of human intestine at 15, 19 and 24 weeks' gest
ation. Immunoreactivity was detected with the antibody directed against the
precursor portion of vgr-1. Only smooth muscle structures stained for vgr-
1 including muscularis propria, muscularis mucosa and vasculature. BMP-6 mR
NA was detected by RNase protection assay in cultured muscle cells from 11,
17 and 22 weeks' gestation. This study demonstrates vgr-1/BMP 6 expression
in the developing human fetal intestine, exclusively in muscle.