Departments of Dermatology, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

Correspondence: Vladimir A. Botchkarev, Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, 609 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, U.S.A. Email: VLadbotc@bu.edu

^*This review is dedicated to the 80th Anniversary of the corresponding member of Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Prof Dr Dina S. Gordan, whose support and wisdom helped the author enormously in his career.

Received 19 August 2002; Accepted 21 August 2002.

Abstract

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) are members of the transforming growth factor- superfamily regulating a large variety of biologic responses in many different cells and tissues during embryonic development and postnatal life. BMP exert their biologic effects via binding to two types of serine/threonine kinase BMP receptors, activation of which leads to phosphorylation and translocation into the nucleus of intracellular signaling molecules, including Smad1, Smad5, and Smad8 ("canonical" BMP signaling pathway). BMP effects are also mediated by activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway ("noncanonical" BMP Signaling pathway). BMP activity is regulated by diffusible BMP antagonists that prevent BMP interactions with BMP receptors thus modulating BMP effects in tissues. During skin development, BMPs its receptors and antagonists show stringent spatiotemporal expressions patterns to achieve proper regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in the epidermis and in the hair follicle. In normal postnatal skin, BMP are involved in the control of epidermal homeostasis, hair follicle growth, and melanogenesis. Furthermore, BMP are implicated in a variety of pathobiologic processes in skin, including wound healing, psoriasis, and carcinogenesis. Therefore, BMPs represent new important players in the molecular network regulating homeostasis in normal and diseased skin. Pharmacologic modulation of BMP signaling may be used as a new approach for managing skin and hair disorders.