Screening studies to design novel and potent tgf-β super family signalling

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily is a large family of structurally related cell regulatory proteins that was named after its first member, TGF-β1. Many proteins have since been described as members of the TGF-β superfamily in a variety of species, including invertebrates as well as vertebrates and categorized into 23 distinct gene types that fall into four major subfamilies: the Decapentaplegic-Vg-Related (DVR) related subfamily (including the bone morphogenetic proteins and the growth differentiation factors), the activin/inhibin subfamily, the TGF-β subfamily, a group encompassing various divergent members.