Activin and inhibin are two closely related protein complexes that have almost directly opposite biological effects. Activins, members of the TGF-beta superfamily, are disulfide-linked dimeric proteins originally purified from gonadal fluids as proteins that stimulated pituitary follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) release. Inhibins/activins are involved in regulating a number of diverse functions such as hypothalamic and pituitary hormone secretion, gonadal hormone secretion, germ cell development and maturation, erythroid differentiation, insulin secretion, nerve cell survival, embryonic axial development or bone growth, depending on their subunit composition. Activins are homodimers or heterodimers of the various beta subunit isoforms, while inhibins are heterodimers of a unique alpha subunit and one of the various beta subunits.
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