Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 (BMP15)

Bone morphogenetic protein 15  is a member of the TGF-beta superfamily. It is a paracrine signaling molecule involved in oocyte and follicular development. Using Northern blot analysis, BMP15 has been shown to be exclusively expressed in the ovaries. The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the bone morphogenetic protein family which is part of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. The transforming growth factor-beta superfamily includes large families of growth and differentiation factors. It is thought that this protein may be involved in oocyte maturation and follicular development as a homodimer or by forming heterodimers with a related protein, Gdf9. Defects in this gene are the cause of ovarian dysgenesis 2.