Human and mouse activin genes: Divergent expression of activin A protein variants and identification of a novel heparan sulfate-binding domain in activin B.

ABSTRACT: Activins are members of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily of signaling proteins and were originally identified as components of follicular fluid. The proteins are now known to play critical roles in numerous normal and pathological processes and conditions, but less is clear about the relationships between their gene organization and protein variant expression and structure. The four human and mouse activin (Act) genes, termed INHβA, INHβB, INHβC and INHβE, differ in exon numbers. Human INHβA is the most complex with 7 exons and elicits production of three Act A variants (Act A X1, X2 and X3) differing in their pro-region, as we showed previously. Here we further analyzed the mouse INHβA gene and found that its 4 exons encode for a single open reading frame (mouse Act A)

SUBMITTER: Billings PC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7029874 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature