Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) expressed in the brain, kidneys and bladder is a member of the TGF-β superfamily. It plays a key role in the transformation of mesenchymal cells into bone and cartilage. BMP-7 induces the phosphorylation of SMAD1 and SMAD5, which in turn induce transcription of numerous osteogenic genes. It has been demonstrated that BMP7 treatment is sufficient to induce all of the genetic markers of osteoblast differentiation in many cell types. BMP-7 has the potential for treatment of chronic kidney disease. BMP-7 administration has been proposed as a possible treatment for human infertility due to poor response to FSH treatment. A BMP-7 therapy for obesity in humans may be developed as a result.