In recent years, a significant amount of research has examined the controversial role of activin A in cancer. Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) superfamily, is best characterized for its function during embryogenesis in mesoderm cell fate differentiation and reproduction. During embryogenesis, TGFβ superfamily ligands, TGFβ, bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) and acti...

OBJECTIVE On the basis of the role of activin A in inflammation, atherogenesis, and glucose homeostasis, we investigated whether activin A could be related to glucometabolic abnormalities in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Activin A measurement and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were performed in patients (n = 115) with acute MI, without previ...

Activin A is a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, which we have identified as having a role in inflammatory responses. We show that circulating levels of activin increase rapidly after LPS-induced challenge through activation of Toll-like receptor 4 and the key adaptor protein, MyD88. Treatment with the activin-binding protein, follistatin, alters the profiles of TNF, IL...

Malignant ovarian epithelial tumors have been shown to have decreased inhibin production relative to activin production compared with normal ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cells and nonmalignant ovarian tumors. Activin stimulates proliferation of many ovarian cancer cell lines. Inhibin antagonizes the action of activin, and inhibin-deficient mice develop gonadal tumors, suggesting that inhibi...

Activins are multifunctional growth and differentiation factors, and stimulate follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-β gene expression and FSH secretion by the pituitary gonadotropes. Follistatins bind activin, resulting in the neutralization of activin bioactivity. Activin / follistatin system is present in the prostate tissue. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) plays an important role in male repro...

Melatonin has been reported to suppress adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion in the anterior pituitary and cortisol production in the adrenal by different mechanisms. However, the effect of melatonin on aldosterone production has remained unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of melatonin in the regulation of aldosterone production using human adrenocortical H295R cells by focusing o...

Activin, nodal, Vg1, and growth and differentiation factor 1 are members of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily and signal via the activin type II (ActRII/IIB) and type I (ALK4) serine/threonine kinase receptors. Unlike activins, however, signaling by nodal, Vg1, and growth and differentiation factor 1 requires a coreceptor from the epidermal growth factor-Cripto-FRL1-Cryptic protei...

OBJECTIVES We sought to investigate whether activin A could be involved in the immunopathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes. BACKGROUND Inflammatory mechanisms seem to play a pathogenic role in atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndromes, but the actual mediators have not been fully identified. Activin A, a pleiotropic member of the transforming growth factor-beta cytokine family, has rece...

BACKGROUND During implantation, the embryo adheres to the endometrium via cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) present on blastocyst trophectoderm and endometrial epithelial cells. CAMs, including integrins and extracellular matrix (ECM) ligands, are most likely regulated by hormones, cytokines and growth factors. We hypothesized first that activin A affects the adhesive properties of trophoblast cel...

Inflammation serves a critical role in driving sympathetic neural remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI), and activin A has been implicated as an important mediator of the inflammatory response post‑MI. However, whether activin A impacts sympathetic neural remodeling post‑MI remains unclear. In the present study, the authors assessed the effects of activin A on sympathetic neural remod...