Dysregulated bone morphogenetic protein signaling in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Mutations in the bmpr2 gene, encoding the type II bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor, have been identified in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), implicating BMP signaling in PAH. The aim of this study was to assess BMP signaling and its physiological effects in a monocrotaline (MCT) model of PAH.

Methods And Results: Expression of BMP receptors Ib and II, and Smads 4, 5, 6, and 8, was downregulated in lungs but not kidneys of MCT-treated rats.