Activin E is a TGFβ ligand that signals specifically through activin receptor-like kinase 7.

ABSTRACT: Activins are one of the three distinct subclasses within the greater Transforming Growth Factor β (TGFβ) superfamily. First discovered for their critical roles in reproductive biology, activins have since been shown to alter cellular differentiation and proliferation. At present, members of the activin subclass include activin A (ActA), ActB, ActC, ActE, and the more distant members myostatin and GDF11. While the biological roles and signaling mechanisms of most activins class members have been well-studied, the signaling potential of ActE has remained largely unknown. Here, we characterized the signaling capacity of homodimeric ActE. Molecular modeling of the ligand:receptor complexes showed that ActC and ActE shared high similarity in both the type I and type II receptor binding epitopes

SUBMITTER: Vestal KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10557571 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature