Are bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) serum levels correlated with development of hepatic fibrosis?
BMP-7 may play anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrogenic roles in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B infection.
The TNF-alpha-induced priming signals could possibly trigger a release of an endogenous GPCR-agonist, amplifying the response to the receptor-uncoupling effect of cytochalasin B. However, no such substance could be found, suggesting that TNF-alpha can transfer G-protein coupled receptors to a signaling state independently of agonist binding.