Myostatin is a transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) family member that plays an essential role in regulating skeletal muscle growth. It acts as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. Pharmacological agents capable of blocking myostatin activity may have applications for promoting muscle growth in human disease. Follistatin, also known as activin-binding protein is a peptide hormone, in humans, encoded by the FST gene. Follistatin is an autocrine glycoprotein that is expressed in nearly all tissues. It is part of the inhibin-activin-follistatin axis and is produced by folliculostellate (FS) cells of the anterior pituitary. 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. Both of these roles are vital in tissue rebuilding and repair.
Last date updated on September, 2024
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