GDF11
protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens
Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), also known as bone morphogenetic protein 11 (BMP-11), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the growth differentiation factor 11 gene. GDF11 is a member of the Transforming growth factor beta family.
GDF11 acts as a cytokine and its sequence is highly conserved between in humans, mice and rats. The bone morphogenetic protein group is characterized by a polybasic proteolytic processing site, which is cleaved to produce a protein containing seven conserved cysteine residues.
Tissue distribution
GDF11 is expressed in many tissues, including skeletal muscle, pancreas, skin, kidney, nervous system, and retina.
Function
Gene deletion and over-expression studies indicate that GDF11 primarily regulates the embryological development of the skeletal system. It may also help regulate development of the central nervous system, blood vessels, the kidney and other tissues.
GDF11 was initially reported to improve neurodegenerative and neurovascular disease outcomes, increase skeletal muscle volume, and enhances muscle strength. However, several groups then showed that over-expression of GDF11 causes muscle wasting. In retrospect, this is not surprising, since GDF11 is 90% identical to myostatin, a known inhibitor of muscle growth.
“GDF11” enters the record as protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what GDF11, protein-coding and gene can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14912147. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “GDF11” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.