Abstract
Activin (ACT) and inhibin (INH) are gonadal proteins purified on the basis of bioactivity to stimulate or inhibit follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion from the pituitary (1). Activin is a 25-kDa homodimeric protein composed of the two β-subunits of INH linked by interchain disulfide bonds, and it comprises three different forms (β A β A, β A β B, and β B β B). Follistatin (FS) is a monomeric glycosylated protein isolated from ovarian follicular fluid (FF), and is now known to neutralize the action of ACT by forming a stable complex with it (2–4). Molecular cloning has revealed the presence of two FS core proteins of 288 and 315 amino acids (FS-288 and FS-315, respectively) as a result of the alternative splicing of the precursor messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) (5). Further work by Sugino et al. identified six molecular forms of porcine FS caused by truncation and glycosylation (6).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ying SY. Inhibins, activins, and follistatins: gonadal proteins modulating the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone. Endocr Rev 1988;9:267–93.
DePaolo LV, Bicsak TA, Erickson GF, Shimasaki S, Ling N. Follistatin and activin: a potential intrinsic regulatory system within diverse tissues. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1991;198:500–12.
Michel U, Farnworth P, Findlay JK. Follistatins: more than follicle-stimulating hormone suppressing proteins. Mol Cell Endocrinol 1993;91:1–11.
Nakamura T, Takio K, Eto Y, Shibai H, Titani K, Sugino H. Activin-binding protein from rat ovary is follistatin. Science 1990;247:836–8.
Inouye S, Guo Y, DePaolo L, Shimonaka M, Ling N, Shimasaki S. Recombinant expression of human follistatin with 315 and 288 amino acids: chemical and biological comparison with native porcine follistatin. Endocrinology 1991;129:815–22.
Sugino K, Kurosawa N, Nakamura T, Takio K, Shimasaki S, Ling N, et al. Molecular heterogeneity of follistatin, an activin-binding protein. J Biol Chem 1993;268:15579–87.
Meunier H, Rivier C, Evans RM, Vale W. Gonadal and extragonadal expression of inhibin a, βA, and βB subunits in various tissues predicts diverse functions. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1987;85:247–51.
Wada M, Shintani Y, Kosaka M, Sano T, Hizawa K, Saito S. Immunohistochemical localization of activin A and follistatin in human tissues. Endocr J 1996;43:375–85.
Demura R, Suzuki T, Tajima S, Mitsuhashi S, Odagiri E, Eto Y, et al. Competitive protein binding assay for activin A/EDF using follistatin: determination of activin levels in human plasma. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1992;185:1148–54.
Wong WLT, Garg SJ, Woodruff T, Bald L, Fendly B, Lofgren JA. Monoclonal antibody based ELISAs for measurement of activins in biological fluids. J Immunol Methods 1993;165:1–10.
Groome N. Ultrasensitive two-site assays for inhibin-A and activin-A using monoclonal antibodies raised to synthetic peptides. J Immunol Methods 1991;145:65–9.
Sugawara M, DePaolo L, Nakatani A, DiMarzo SJ, Ling N. Radioimmunoassay of follistatin: application for in vitro fertilization procedures. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1990;71:1672–4.
Saito S, Nakamura T, Titani K, Sugino H. Production of activin-binding protein by rat granulosa cells in vitro. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1991;176:413–22.
Klein R, Robertson DM, Shukovski L, Findlay JK, de Kretser DM. The radioimmunoassay of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-suppressing protein (FSP): stimulation of bovine granulosa cell FSP secretion by FSH. Endocrinology 1991;128:1048–56.
Shintani Y, Takada Y, Yamasaki R, Saito S. Radioimmunoassay for activin A/EDF: method and measurement of immunoreactive activin A/EDF levels in various biological materials. J Immunol Methods 1991;137:267–74.
Harada K, Shintani Y, Sakamoto Y, Wakatsuki M, Shitsukawa K, Saito S. Serum immunoreactive activin A levels in normal subjects and patients with various diseases. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996;81:2125–30.
Wakatsuki M, Shintani Y, Abe M, Liu ZH, Shitsukawa K, Saito S. Immunoradiometric assay for follistatin: serum immunoreactive follistatin levels in normal adults and pregnant women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996;81:630–4.
Sakamoto Y, Shintani Y, Harada K, Abe M, Shitsukawa K, Saito S. Determination of free follistatin levels in sera of normal subjects and patients with various diseases. Eur J Endocrinol 1996;135:345–51.
Knight PG, Muttukrishna, Groome NP. Development and application of a two-site enzyme immunoassay for the determination of’total’ activin A concentrations in serum and follicular fluid. J Endocrinol 1996;148:267–79.
McFarlane JR, Foulds LM, Pisciotta A, Robertson DM, de Kretser DM. Measurement of activin in biological fluids by radioimmunoassay utilizing dissociating agents to remove the interference of follistatin. Eur J Endocrinol 1996;134:481–9.
Wang QF, Khoury RH, Smith PC, McConnell DS, Padmanabhan V, Midgley AR, et al. A two-site monoclonal antibody immunoradiometric assay for human follistatin: secretion by a human ovarian teratocarcinoma-derived cell line (PA-1). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996;81:1434–41.
Demura R, Suzuki T, Tajima S, Mitsuhashi E, Demura H, Ling N. Human plasma free activin and inhibin levels during the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1993;76:1080–2.
Khoury RH, Wang QF, Crowley WF Jr, Hall JE, Schneyer AL, et al. Serum follistatin levels in women: evidence against an endocrine function of ovarian follistatin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1995;80:1361–8.
Petraglia F, De Vita D, Gallinelli A, Aguzzoli L, Genazzani AR, Romero R, et al. Abnormal concentration of maternal serum activin-A in gestational disease. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1995;80:558–61.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shintani, Y. et al. (1997). Immunoassays for Activin and Follistatin: Results in Normal and Diseased Subjects. In: Aono, T., Sugino, H., Vale, W.W. (eds) Inhibin, Activin and Follistatin. Serono Symposia USA. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1874-6_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1874-6_12
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7320-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-1874-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive