The BMP proteins in bone formation and repair.

From recent advances in the fields of bone biology and pattern formation, the first clues to our understanding of embryonic skeletal development are beginning to emerge. This complex process involves an integration of spatial patterning and the differentiation of specialized cells that make up bone and cartilage. The result is a scale model of the mature skeleton which is able to grow in size to fit the adult body plan. In the mature animal, bone repair after injury appears to be similar to bone formation in the embryo, suggesting that analogous mechanisms for the control of bone formation may exist in the adult and embryonic skeletons.