Journal article
Activin and follistatin interactions in the male reproductive tract: activin expression and morphological abnormalities in mice lacking follistatin 288
R Wijayarathna, MA Sarraj, R Genovese, JE Girling, V Michel, H Ludlow, KL Loveland, A Meinhardt, DM de Kretser, MP Hedger
ANDROLOGY | WILEY | Published : 2017
DOI: 10.1111/andr.12337
Abstract
Activin A is an important regulator of testicular and epididymal development and function, as well as inflammation and immunity. In the adult murine reproductive tract, activin A mRNA (Inhba) expression levels are highest in the caput epididymis and decrease progressively towards the distal vas deferens. The activin-binding protein, follistatin (FST), shows the opposite expression pattern, with exceptionally high levels of the Fst288 mRNA variant in the vas deferens. This unique pattern of expression suggests that activin A and follistatin, in particular FST288, play region-specific roles in regulating the epididymis and vas deferens. The cellular distribution of activin and follistatin and ..
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Awarded by Monash University
Funding Acknowledgements
Funding was provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and Monash University to the International Research Training Group (IRTG) between Justus-Liebig-University Giessen and Monash University (GRK 1871) on 'Molecular pathogenesis of male reproductive disorders'. This work was supported by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (to M.P.H., D.M. de K. and K.L.L.), and the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. We thank Oxford Brookes University for kindly supplying the antibody reagents E4 and 46 A/F used in the activin A and B assays, and Susan Hayward for her expert immunoassay skills and assistance.