Objective: To assess the effects of combined and sequential administration of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and BMP-7 on osteoblastic differentiation compared with administration of single growth factors. Design: In vitro study of osseous differentiation in murine pluripotent cells using assays of extracellular matrix calcification, alkaline phosphatase activity, and expression of osseous markers. Mesenchymal cells were cultured with BMP-2, BMP-7, or a combination of these growth factors

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... or were sequentially exposed to the growth factors. Results: Sequential administration of BMP-2 and BMP-7 resulted in increased extracellular matrix calcification and expression of osteocalcin, whereas all groups treated with BMP up-regulated expression of the osteoblastic transcription factor Runx2/cbfa1, type I collagen, and the in-