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Activin

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Encyclopedia of Cancer

  • 67 Accesses

Synonyms

Activin A; Activin B; Activin C; Activin E; EDF; Erythroid differentiation factor; INHBA; INHBB; INHBC; INHBE; Inhibin-β chain

Definition

Dimeric protein complex that enhances biosynthesis of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and secretion from the pituitary.

Characteristics

Activins are members of the TGF-β superfamily of proteins, and in addition to stimulating FSH release from the pituitary they are involved in regulation of a diverse range of physiological processes including embryonic development, reproduction, and fertility, and are implicated in the development and progression of cancers, especially of the testis, ovary, and adrenal gland.

There are five known β-subunits (designated βA through βE) that can form homodimers or heterodimers, for example activin A (= βAβA), activin B (=βBβB), activin C (=βCβC), activin AB (=βAβB), and activin AC (=βAβC, Fig. 1). Two of these subunits (βC and βE) were discovered only in the last decade and we know little about them, mainly...

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References

  • Chen YG, Lui HM, Lin SL, Lee JM, Ying SY (2002) Regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and carcinogenesis by activin. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 227:75–87

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  • Gold E, Risbridger G (2011) Activins and activin antagonists in the prostate and prostate cancer. Mol Cell Endocrinol. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2011.07.005

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  • Harrison CA, Gray PC, Vale WW, Robertson DM (2005) Antagonists of activin signaling: mechanisms and potential biological applications. Trends Endocrinol Metab 16:73–78

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  • Risbridger GP, Schmitt JF, Robertson DR (2001) Activins and inhibins in endocrine and other tumours. Endocr Rev 22:836–858

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  • Robertson DM, Burger HG, Fuller PJ (2004) Inhibin/activin and ovarian cancer. Endocr Relat Cancer 11:35–49

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stenvers KL, Findlay JK (2010) Inhibins: from reproductive hormones to tumor suppressors. Trends Endocrinol Metab 21:174–180

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Otago School of Medical Sciences, Dunedin, New zealand

    Elspeth Gold

Authors
  1. Elspeth Gold
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elspeth Gold .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

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Gold, E. (2014). Activin. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_7125-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_7125-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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