Endocrine Abstracts

In mammals, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), produced by pituitary gonadotropes, is required for proper gonadal function and female fertility. The TGFβ superfamily members, activins, are critical regulators of FSH synthesis. Activins signal through heteromeric type I/type II receptor complexes and the effector proteins SMADs 2 and 3 to regulate gene transcription. Numerous studies in gonadotrope-like cell lines suggest that activin-stimulated FSH β subunit (Fshb) ...