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  • Title: Overexpression of activin-beta A subunit mRNA is associated with decreased activin type II receptor mRNA levels in the testes of alpha-inhibin deficient mice.
    Author: Trudeau VL, Matzuk MM, Haché RJ, Renaud LP.
    Journal: Biochem Biophys Res Commun; 1994 Aug 30; 203(1):105-12. PubMed ID: 8074643.
    Abstract:
    Activins and inhibins are polypeptides of the transforming growth factor-beta family that participate in differentiation and growth of diverse cell types, and are involved in endocrine/paracrine regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. Mice with alpha-inhibin subunit gene deletion develop large testicular tumors. In these animals, a 200-fold increase in testicular expression of activin beta A subunit mRNA was detected using S1-nuclease protection analysis. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that a predominant mRNA form of approximately 6.5 kb and a second minor form of 4.5 kb were overexpressed in the testes of the alpha-inhibin deficient animals. Testicular expression of the type II activin receptor was decreased 3-fold in these mice. In contrast, hypothalamic beta A and type II activin receptor mRNA levels remained unaltered. alpha-Inhibin may play a role to suppress the expression of beta A mRNA in the mammalian testes. These results demonstrate that increased expression of activin is accompanied by a tissue specific reduction in the expression of its own receptor mRNA in vivo.
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