Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2012 Aug 15;359(1-2):107-12. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2011.07.005. Epub 2011 Jul 20.
Activins are members of the TGF-β super-family. There are 4 mammalian activin subunits (β(A), β(B), β(C) and β(E)) that combine to form functional proteins. The role of activin A (β(A)β(A)) is well characterized and known to be a potent growth and differentiation factor. Two of the activin subunits (β(C) and β(E)) were discovered more recently and little is known about their biological functions. In this review the evidence that activin-β(C) is a significant regulator of activin A bioactivity is presented and discussed. It is concluded that activin-β(C), like other antagonists of activin A, is an important growth regulator in prostate health and disease.
激活素是 TGF-β 超家族的成员。哺乳动物中有 4 种激活素亚基（β(A)、β(B)、β(C)和β(E)），它们可以组合形成有功能的蛋白。激活素 A（β(A)β(A)）的作用已经得到很好的描述，被认为是一种有效的生长和分化因子。最近发现了其中的两种激活素亚基（β(C)和β(E)），但它们的生物学功能知之甚少。本文综述了激活素-β(C)是激活素 A 生物活性的重要调节剂的证据，并对其进行了讨论。结论认为，激活素-β(C)与其他激活素 A 的拮抗剂一样，是前列腺健康和疾病中重要的生长调节剂。
