Gdf10, a member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily, has diverse functions. It is involved in multiple biological processes and associated with pathways like TGF-β/Smad and NF-κB. Gdf10 is important for normal physiological development and maintaining tissue homeostasis, and genetic models are valuable for studying its functions [2,3,4].

In various disease-related studies, Gdf10-deficient mice have provided insights. In vascular calcification, Gdf10-/-mice showed increased hydroxyapatite deposition, indicating Gdf10 is a negative regulator of this process by reducing runt-related transcription factor 2 protein expression [1]. In liver fibrosis, loss of Gdf10 function promoted hepatic stellate cell activation and exacerbated liver fibrosis in mice, suggesting Gdf10 is an autocrine suppressor of this activation [3]. In postnatal heart development, Gdf10-null hearts had a delay in cardiomyocyte maturation, including decreased cell size, binucleation, and abnormal mitotic activity at postnatal day 7 [5].

In conclusion, Gdf10 plays essential roles in processes such as vascular calcification, liver fibrosis, and postnatal cardiomyocyte maturation. The use of Gdf10 knockout mouse models has revealed its significance in these disease-relevant biological processes, providing potential targets for disease treatment and management.

References:

1. Platko, Khrystyna, Gyulay, Gabriel, Lebeau, Paul F, Krepinsky, Joan C, Austin, Richard C. 2024. GDF10 is a negative regulator of vascular calcification. In The Journal of biological chemistry, 300, 107805. doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107805. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39307303/

2. He, Feng, Feng, Guofei, Ma, Ning, Takeuchi, Kazuhiko, Murata, Mariko. . GDF10 inhibits cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by the transforming growth factor-β/Smad and NF-κB pathways. In Carcinogenesis, 43, 94-103. doi:10.1093/carcin/bgab122. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34922336/

3. Zhang, Yinliang, Gai, Xiaochen, Li, Yuhui, Pan, Zhe, Chang, Yongsheng. 2025. Autocrine GDF10 Inhibits Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation via BMPR2/ALK3 Receptor to Prevent Liver Fibrosis. In Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany), , e2500616. doi:10.1002/advs.202500616. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40125634/

4. Zhou, Tian, Yu, Lei, Huang, Jianjun, Hu, Yaxin, Lei, Yu. . GDF10 inhibits proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in triple-negative breast cancer via upregulation of Smad7. In Aging, 11, 3298-3314. doi:10.18632/aging.101983. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31147529/

5. Uscategui Calderon, Maria, Spaeth, Maria L, Granitto, Marissa, Kottyan, Leah C, Yutzey, Katherine E. 2025. GDF10 promotes rodent cardiomyocyte maturation during the postnatal period. In Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology, 201, 16-31. doi:10.1016/j.yjmcc.2025.01.010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39909309/