The disappearance of antifibrogenic BMP-7 in the early stages of renal disease has been associated with the progression of renal fibrosis [138], and antifibrotic BMP-7 activates smad5 to inhibit smad6, which induces the translocation of TGF-β-activated smad3 to the nucleus [137]. This evidence concerns the gene TGFB1 and renal fibrosis.