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Activins and Inhibins and Their Signaling
Author(s) -
VALE WYLIE,
WIATER EZRA,
GRAY PETER,
HARRISON CRAIG,
BILEZIKJIAN LOUISE,
CHOE SENYON
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1315.023
Subject(s) - activin receptor , receptor , activin type 2 receptors , acvr2b , transforming growth factor , signal transduction , endocrinology , medicine , serine , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , transforming growth factor beta , proteoglycan , tgf beta signaling pathway , phosphorylation , extracellular matrix
A bstract : Activins and inhibins, which were discovered by virtue of their abilities to stimulate or inhibit, respectively, the secretion of FSH, are members of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGFβ) superfamily and exert a broad range of effects on the diffentiation, proliferation and functions of numerous cell types. Activins interact with two structurally related classes of serine/threonine kinase receptors (type I and type II). Inhibin antagonizes activin by binding to the proteoglycan, betaglycan, and forming a stable complex with and, thereby, sequestering type II activin receptors while excluding type I receptors. If betaglycan is present, inhibin can also antagonize those bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) whose signaling is dependent upon access to type II activin receptors. Recent insights regarding the structures of ligands, receptors and their signaling complexes are providing the basis for the development of therapeutics capable of modulating fertility and numerous pathophysiologic processes.