Activin is a member of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily that regulates mammary cell function during development, lactation, and in cancer. Activin slows the growth of breast cancer cells by inducing G(0)/G(1) cell cycle arrest. Estrogen is a steroid hormone that stimulates the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells in development and oncogenesis. The crosstalk between estrogen...

The present study was conducted to examine the involvement of the activin-follistatin system in the fibrotic process of the kidney. Immunoreactive activin A was upregulated in tubular cells in the kidneys with unilateral ureteral obstruction but not in normal and contralateral kidneys. Activin A promoted cell proliferation, enhanced the expression of type I collagen mRNA, and induced the produc...

We have recently shown that activin A, a member of TGF-beta superfamily, stimulates mouse B cells to express IgA isotype but other isotypes. In the present study, we further characterized effects of activin A on B cell growth and IgA expression. We found that activin A did not have effect on LPS-stimulated cell viability. In parallel, CFSE staining analysis revealed that activin A did not alter...

The present study was conducted to elucidate the role of activin A in capillary formation. When bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) were cultured in a collagen gel, basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) induced tube formation. Activin A also induced tube formation and the addition of two factors together was more effective. BAEC produced both FGF-2 and activin A as autocrine factors. Exogen...

Goosecoid is a homeobox gene that is expressed as an immediate early response to mesoderm induction by activin. We have investigated the induction of the zebrafish goosecoid promoter by the mesoderm inducing factors activin and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in dissociated zebrafish blastula cells, as well as by different wnts in intact embryos. Activin induces promoter activity, while b...

Little is known about the role of activin B during folliculogenesis. This study investigated the expression levels of activin/inhibin subunits (βA, βB, and α), steroid enzyme, and gonadotrophin receptors in theca (TC) and granulosa cells (GC) by QPCR and activin A and B and inhibin A protein levels in follicular fluid (FF) of developing sheep follicles during estrus and anestrus. The effect of ...

Activin, a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) superfamily of cytokines, inhibits cell proliferation in a variety of cell types. The functions of activin are mediated by type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors. The main type I receptor mediating activin signaling in human cells is ActRIB, also called Alk4. We have previously reported that several truncated Alk4 ...

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta family members play a central role in mesoderm induction during early embryogenesis in Xenopus. Although a number of target genes induced as an immediate-early response to activin-like members of the family have been described, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved. Our systematic analysis of the activin induction of the target gene XFKH1 ...

A balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis is important for regulating normal liver function. Proteins of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily are known to be important mediators of apoptosis in the liver. In this study we demonstrate that activin A potently induces apoptotic cell death in a hepatoma cell line, HepG2 cells. To determine the roles of activin receptors and down...

BACKGROUND Transforming growth factor-beta family cytokines have diverse actions in the maintenance of cardiac homeostasis. Activin A is a member of this family whose regulation and function in heart are not well understood at a molecular level. Follistatin-like 3 (Fstl3) is an extracellular regulator of activin A protein, and its function in the heart is also unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We ...