In disease, in a mouse model of diabetic retinopathy, CTGF expression was required for thickening of the basal lamina of retinal capillaries, an instrumental step in the development of vision loss21 while in diabetic nephropathy, the increased CTGF expression was shown to inhibit BMP-7 signal transduction, reduce MMP activity and contribute to basement membrane thickening and albuminuria45. Here, BMP7 is linked to diabetic kidney disease.