BMPs are proteins that act to induce the differentiation of mesenchymal-type cells into chondrocytes and osteoblasts before initiating bone formation. They promote the differentiation of cartilage-forming cells and bone-forming cells near sites of fractures but also at ectopic locations. As a
potent osteoinductive cytokine, BMP-2 is capable of inducing bone and cartilage formation in association with osteoconductive carriers such as collagen and synthetic hydroxyapatite. BMP-2 wild type binds to its cellular receptors via two distinct binding epitopes. The large epitope 1 is responsible for the high-affinity binding to the BMPR-IA receptor, the smaller epitope 2 provides the low-affinity binding to the receptor BMPR-II. BMP-2 expressed in human 293 cells offers authentic glycosylation which contributes to stability in cell growth media and other applications. BMP-2 expressed from human 293 cells is a disulfide linked homodimeric glycoprotein with an molecular mass of 28 kDa.