Polypeptide cartilage-inducing factors found in bone

A composition for promoting connective tissue deposition comprising:

• (a) an effective amount of a polypeptide that
• (i) is found in mammalian bone;
• (ii) is active in the TGF-.beta. assay;
• (iii) is a co-factor for inducing cartilage formation in vivo;
• (iv) is a dimer having an approximate molecular weight of 26,000 daltons as determined by SDS-PAGE;
• and
• (v) is free of effective amounts of TGF-.beta. activating agent or chondrogenic co-factor;
• and
• (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

A composition for promoting connective tissue deposition comprising:

• (a) an effective amount of a polypeptide that
• (i) is active in the TGF-.beta. assay;
• (ii) is a dimer having a molecular weight of approximately 26,000 daltons as determined by SDS-PAGE, whose chains each have the following N-terminal sequence:
• Ala-Leu-Asp-Ala-Ala-Tyr-Cys-Phe-Arg-Asn-Val-Gln-Asp -Asn-Cys-Cys-Leu-Arg-Pro-Leu-Tyr-Ile-Asp-Phe-Lys-Arg-Asp-Leu-Gly-Trp-;
• and
• (iii) is free of effective amounts of TGF-.beta. activating agent or chondrogenic co-factor;
• and
• (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.