Bone morphogenetic protein 15
Encyclopedia
Bone morphogenetic protein 15 is a protein
that in humans is encoded by the BMP15 gene
.
The protein
encoded by this gene is a member of the TGF-β 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. 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
.
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
that in humans is encoded by the BMP15 gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
.
The protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
encoded by this gene is a member of the TGF-β superfamily. It is a paracrine signaling molecule involved in oocyte
Oocyte
An oocyte, ovocyte, or rarely ocyte, is a female gametocyte or germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. An oocyte is produced in the ovary during female gametogenesis. The female germ cells produce a primordial germ cell which undergoes a mitotic...
and follicular
Ovarian follicle
Ovarian follicles are the basic units of female reproductive biology, each of which is composed of roughly spherical aggregations of cells found in the ovary. They contain a single oocyte . These structures are periodically initiated to grow and develop, culminating in ovulation of usually a single...
development. Using Northern blot
Northern blot
The northern blot is a technique used in molecular biology research to study gene expression by detection of RNA in a sample. With northern blotting it is possible to observe cellular control over structure and function by determining the particular gene expression levels during differentiation,...
analysis, BMP15 has been shown to be exclusively expressed in the ovaries. 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
Growth differentiation factor-9
Growth/differentiation factor 9 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GDF9 gene.GDF9 plays an important role in the development of primary follicles in the ovary...
.