What do BMPs do in mammals? Clues from the mouse short-ear mutation.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are a family of secreted signaling molecules that were originally isolated on the basis of their remarkable ability to induce the formation of ectopic bones when implanted into adult animals. The first mutations identified in a mammalian BMP gene suggest that members of this family induce the formation, patterning and repair of particular morphological features in higher animals.