Male Reproductive Phenotypes in Double Mutant Mice Lacking Both FSHβ and Activin Receptor IIA

Male reproductive phenotypes in double mutant mice lacking both FSHbeta and activin receptor IIA.

Activins are known to signal through two serine/threonine kinase type II receptors. Activin receptor IIA is widely expressed in the male reproductive axis, including the pituitary and testis. Our previous studies using gene knockout mice have confirmed the essential in vivo role of activin receptor IIA in FSH homeostasis. Activin receptor IIA-null male mice are fertile, have suppressed pituitar...

Follistatin and activin A production by the male reproductive tract.

Follistatin is a binding protein for the activin and inhibin family of hormones, regulating their biological activity. In the male reproductive tract, the interaction of these factors is likely to be involved in the regulation of the proliferation of several cell types. We have investigated the presence of follistatin and activin A in seminal plasma using specific immunoassays and have localize...

Lacking Invariant Chain and DM Functions MHC Class II Expression in Double Mutant Mice

Mapping Pathological Phenotypes in Reelin Mutant Mice

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders with multifactorial origin characterized by social communication deficits and the presence of repetitive behaviors/interests. Several studies showed an association between the reelin gene mutation and increased risk of ASD and a reduced reelin expression in some brain regions of ASD subjects, suggesting a role for reelin deficienc...

Changes in the reproductive function and developmental phenotypes in mice following intramuscular injection of an activin betaA-expressing plasmid

BACKGROUND The TGF-beta family protein activin has numerous reported activities with some uncertainty in the reproductive axis and development. The precise roles of activin in in vivo system were investigated using a transient gain of function model. METHODS To this end, an expression plasmid, pCMV-rAct, with the activin betaA cDNA fused to the cytomegalovirus promoter, was introduced into mu...