A novel neural-specific BMP antagonist, Brorin-like, of the Chordin family.

We identified a gene encoding a novel secreted protein in mice, humans, and zebrafish. As the protein of 222 amino acids is similar to Brorin, a secreted BMP antagonist, which is a member of the Chordin family, we named it Brorin-like. Recombinant Brorin-like protein weakly but significantly inhibited the activity of BMP in mouse preosteoblastic cells and promoted neurogenesis in mouse neural precursor cells. Brorin-like was predominantly expressed in the adult brain and embryonic neural tissues. The inhibition of Brorin-like functions in zebrafish resulted in the impairment of neural development. Brorin-like potentially plays roles in neural development and functions.