Activins and activin antagonists in the prostate and prostate cancer

摘要

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 Aβ 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.