The soluble form of BMPRIB is a novel therapeutic candidate for treating bone related disorders

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are multi-functional growth factors that belong to the TGF-beta superfamily. Recently, several soluble BMP receptors, such as ActRIIA-Fc, ActRIIB-Fc, and ALK1-Fc, are undergoing clinical trials. Both BMPRIA and BMPRIB are type I BMP receptors, and while BMPRIA-Fc has been reported to have bone-increasing properties, there have been no investigations concerning the biological functions of BMPRIB-Fc. Therefore, comparing the effects of BMPRIA-Fc and BMPRIB-Fc in vivo should be helpful in revealing the differences in biological function between BMPRIA and BMPRIB, and would also aid in the evaluation of BMPRIB-Fc as a therapeutic agent. Here, we produced Tg chimeras in which BMPRIA-Fc and BMPRIB-Fc proteins circulated at high concentrations (36.8–121.4 μg/mL). Both Tg chimeras showed a significant increase of bone volume and strength. Using histological analysis, adenoma of the glandular stomach was observed only in BMPRIA-Fc chimeras suggesting the tumorigenic activity of this protein. Administration of recombinant BMPRIB-Fc protein to normal mice also increased bone volumes. Finally, treatment with BMPRIB-Fc decreased the area of osteolytic regions in a mouse model of breast cancer metastasis. In conclusion, our data suggest that BMPRIB-Fc can be used for the treatment of bone-related disorders with a lower risk than BMPRIA-Fc.