Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) is a member of the highly conserved transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily. BMP4 binds to type I and type II receptors on cells leading to recruitment and activation of SMAD family transcription factors that regulate gene expression. BMPs have been shown to be key regulators of embryogenesis and are known to play a role in the growth and differentiation of various cell types, including embryonic stem (ES) cells, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, mesenchymal cells, epithelial cells, hematopoietic cells, and neuronal cells.
