The role of Smad 6/7 in induction of apoptosis in mouse B cells stimulated with GDF 5

Abstract

Bone morphogenetic proteins, which includes growth / differentiation factor-5 (GDF-5), are multifunctional cytokines. Recent studies of intracellular signal transduction mechanism, for transforming growth factor-β superfamily have focus on Smad proteins, but have paid little attention to the mechanism by which GDF-5 exert its negative growth effect on immunologocal competent cell. In present study, we demonstrated that GDF-5 induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase before appearanc of apoptosis in mouse B cell hybridoma HS-72. Moreover, we found that Smad6 and Smad7 suppressed GDF-5-induces apoptosis in HS-72 cells.