Summary
The induction of mesoderm is an important process in early amphibian development. In recent studies, activin has become an effective candidate for a natural mesoderm-inducing factor. In the present study, we show that follistatin, an activin-binding protein purified from porcine ovary, inhibits the mesoderm-inducing activity of recombinant human activin A (rh activin A), which is identical to the erythroid differentiation factor (EDF). The quantity of follistatin required for effective suppression of activin was more than three-fold that of activin (w:w). Follistatin also inhibited the mesoderm-inducing activity of the vegetalizing factor purified from chick embryos, suggesting that the vegetalizing factor is closely related to activin.
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Asashima, M., Nakano, H., Uchiyama, H. et al. Follistatin inhibits the mesoderm-inducing activity of activin A and the vegetalizing factor from chicken embryo. Roux's Arch Dev Biol 200, 4–7 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02457635
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02457635