Bone morphogenetic proteins and growth differentiation factors as drug targets in cardiovascular and metabolic disease

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and growth differentiation factors (GDFs) control the development and homeostasis of multiple tissue types in many organisms, from humans to invertebrates. These morphogens are expressed in a tissue-specific manner and they signal by binding to serine–threonine kinase receptors, resulting in coordinated changes in gene expression that regulate the differentiation and development of multiple tissue types. In addition, these proteins are regulated post-transcriptionally through binding to several soluble proteins. In this review we focus on a subset of BMPs and GDFs that have been implicated in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.