Follistatin

Last updated

FST
PDB 2b0u EBI.jpg
Available structures
PDB Ortholog search: PDBe RCSB
Identifiers
Aliases FST , FS, follistatin
External IDs OMIM: 136470; MGI: 95586; HomoloGene: 7324; GeneCards: FST; OMA:FST - orthologs
Orthologs
SpeciesHumanMouse
Entrez
Ensembl
UniProt
RefSeq (mRNA)

NM_006350
NM_013409

NM_008046
NM_001301373
NM_001301375

RefSeq (protein)

NP_006341
NP_037541

NP_001288302
NP_001288304
NP_032072

Location (UCSC) Chr 5: 53.48 – 53.49 Mb Chr 13: 114.59 – 114.6 Mb
PubMed search [3] [4]
Wikidata
View/Edit Human View/Edit Mouse

Follistatin, also known as activin-bindings protein, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FST gene. [5] [6] Follistatin is an autocrine glycoprotein that is expressed in nearly all tissues of higher animals. [6]

Contents

Its primary function is the binding and bioneutralization of members of the TGF-β superfamily, with a particular focus on activin, a paracrine hormone.

An earlier name for the same protein was FSH-suppressing protein (FSP). At the time of its initial isolation from follicular fluid, it was found to inhibit the anterior pituitary's secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

Biochemistry

Follistatin is part of the inhibin-activin-follistatin axis.

Three isoforms, FS-288, FS-300, and FS-315 have been reported. Two, FS-288 and FS-315, are created by alternative splicing of the primary mRNA transcript. FS-300 (porcine follistatin) is thought to be the product of posttranslational modification via truncation of the C-terminal domain from the primary amino-acid chain.

Although FS is ubiquitous, its highest concentration is in the female ovary, followed by the skin.

Follistatin is produced by folliculostellate (FS) cells of the anterior pituitary. FS cells make numerous contacts with the classical endocrine cells of the anterior pituitary including gonadotrophs.

Function

In the tissues activin has a strong role in cellular proliferation, thereby making follistatin the safeguard against uncontrolled cellular proliferation and also allowing it to function as an instrument of cellular differentiation. These roles are vital in tissue rebuilding and repair, and may account for follistatin's high presence in the skin.

In the blood, activin and follistatin are involved in the inflammatory response following tissue injury or pathogenic incursion. The source of follistatin in circulating blood plasma has yet to be determined, but due to its autocrine nature speculation suggests the endothelial cells lining all blood vessels, or the macrophages and monocytes circulating within the whole blood, may be sources.

Follistatin is involved in embryo development. It has inhibitory action on bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs); BMPs induce the ectoderm to become epidermal ectoderm. Inhibition of BMPs allows neuroectoderm to arise from ectoderm, a process which eventually forms the neural plate. Other inhibitors involved in this process are noggin and chordin.

Follistatin and BMPs are play a role in folliculogenesis within the ovary. The main role of follistatin in the oestrus/menstrus ovary appears to be progression of the follicle from early antral to antral/dominant. It is also involved in the promotion of cellular differentiation of the estrogen producing granulosa cells (GC) of the dominant follicle into the progesterone producing large lutein cells (LLC) of the corpus luteum.

Clinical significance

Follistatin is studied for its role in regulation of muscle growth in mice, as an antagonist to myostatin (also known as GDF-8, a TGF superfamily member) which inhibits excessive muscle growth. Lee and McPherron demonstrated that inhibition of GDF-8, either by genetic elimination (knockout mice) or by increasing the amount of follistatin, resulted in increased muscle mass. [7] [8] In 2009, research with macaque monkeys demonstrated that regulating follistatin via gene therapy also resulted in muscle growth and increases in strength. [9]

Increased levels of follistatin, by leading to increased muscle mass of certain core muscular groups, can increase life expectancy in cases of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in animal models. [10]

Elevated circulating follistatin levels are also associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, early death, heart failure, stroke and chronic kidney disease. It has been demonstrated that follistatin contributes to insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes development and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The genetic regulation of follistatin secretion from the liver is via Glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) identified by large GWAS studies. [11] [12]

It is also investigated for its involvement in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), in part to resolve debate as to its direct role in this disease. [13]

Sporadic inclusion body myositis, a variant of inflammatory myopathy, involves muscle weakness. In one clinical trial, rAAV1.CMV.huFS344, 6 × 1011 vg/kg, walk test results significantly improved versus untreated controls, along with decreased fibrosis and improved regeneration.

ACE-083, a follistatin-based fusion protein, was investigated for treatment focal or asymmetric myopathies. Intramuscular ACE-083 increased growth and force production in injected muscle in wild-type mice and mouse models of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, without systemic effects or endocrine disruption. [14]

AAV-mediated FST reduced obesity-induced inflammatory adipokines and cytokines systemically and in synovial fluid. Mice receiving FST therapy were protected from post-traumatic osteoarthritis and bone remodeling from joint injury. [15]

In another mouse study, high dose animals showed significant quadriceps growth.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Müllerian hormone</span> Mammalian protein found in humans

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), also known as Müllerian-inhibiting hormone (MIH), is a glycoprotein hormone structurally related to inhibin and activin from the transforming growth factor beta superfamily, whose key roles are in growth differentiation and folliculogenesis. In humans, it is encoded by the AMH gene, on chromosome 19p13.3, while its receptor is encoded by the AMHR2 gene on chromosome 12.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bone morphogenetic protein 15</span> Protein-coding gene in humans

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The transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) signaling pathway is involved in many cellular processes in both the adult organism and the developing embryo including cell growth, cell differentiation, cell migration, apoptosis, cellular homeostasis and other cellular functions. The TGFB signaling pathways are conserved. In spite of the wide range of cellular processes that the TGFβ signaling pathway regulates, the process is relatively simple. TGFβ superfamily ligands bind to a type II receptor, which recruits and phosphorylates a type I receptor. The type I receptor then phosphorylates receptor-regulated SMADs (R-SMADs) which can now bind the coSMAD SMAD4. R-SMAD/coSMAD complexes accumulate in the nucleus where they act as transcription factors and participate in the regulation of target gene expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ACVR1</span> Protein-coding gene

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ACVR2B</span> Protein-coding gene in humans

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">GDF11</span> Protein-coding gene in humans

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">INHBA</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">INHA</span> Protein and coding gene in humans

Inhibin, alpha, also known as INHA, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the INHA gene.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">FSTL1</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 GRCm38: Ensembl release 89: ENSMUSG00000021765 Ensembl, May 2017
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  4. "Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
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  7. Lee SJ, McPherron AC (July 2001). "Regulation of myostatin activity and muscle growth". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 98 (16): 9306–9311. Bibcode:2001PNAS...98.9306L. doi: 10.1073/pnas.151270098 . PMC   55416 . PMID   11459935.
  8. "'Mighty mice' made mightier" . Retrieved 2008-02-26.
  9. "Success Boosting Monkey Muscle Could Help Humans". NPR. 11 Nov 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
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  11. Wu C, Borné Y, Gao R, López Rodriguez M, Roell WC, Wilson JM, et al. (November 2021). "Elevated circulating follistatin associates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 6486. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12.6486W. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26536-w. PMC   8580990 . PMID   34759311.
  12. Pan J, Nilsson J, Engström G, De Marinis Y (2024). "Elevated circulating follistatin associates with increased risk of mortality and cardiometabolic disorders". Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 34 (2): 418–425. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2023.09.012 . PMID   38000997.
  13. Asteria C (October 2000). "Identification of follistatin as a possible trait-causing gene in polycystic ovary syndrome". European Journal of Endocrinology. 143 (4): 467–9. doi: 10.1530/eje.0.1430467 . PMID   11022191.
  14. Pearsall RS, Davies MV, Cannell M, Li J, Widrick J, Mulivor AW, et al. (August 2019). "Follistatin-based ligand trap ACE-083 induces localized hypertrophy of skeletal muscle with functional improvement in models of neuromuscular disease". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 11392. Bibcode:2019NatSR...911392P. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-47818-w. PMC   6684588 . PMID   31388039.
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Further reading