The transition of the antiproliferative effect of BMP-2 in normal PASMCs to its proliferative effect in IPAH patients is attributed potentially to its differential effect on expression patterns of various genes that are involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis.
We demonstrate that GDF5 and BMP2 prevent apoptosis induced by serum starvation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts but not in smooth muscle cells via the BMP receptor 2 (BMPR2), which is often mutated in hereditary cases of primary pulmonary hypertension.