The emerging role of follistatin under stresses and its implications in diseases

• Published in: Gene Vol. 639; pp. 111 - 116
• Main Authors: Zhang, Lingda, Liu, Kangli, Han, Bing, Xu, Zhengping, Gao, Xiangwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 10-01-2018
• Subjects: Follistatin - genetics; Follistatin - metabolism; Follistatin - physiology; FST; Humans; Nuclear translocation; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; Stress; Stress, Physiological - physiology; TGF-β superfamily; BMP; OS; FST; IR; Stress; NLS; ARE; Nuclear translocation; Nrf2; TGF-β superfamily; NOX; ROS; TGF-β; FSH; EoE; FD
• ISSN: 0378-1119; 1879-0038
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2017.10.017

Follistatin (FST), a single-chain glycosylated protein, is expressed in various tissues. The essential biological function of FST is binding and neutralizing transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily, including activin, myostatin, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP). Emerging evidence indicates that FST also serves as a stress responsive protein, which plays a protective role under a variety of stresses. In most cases, FST performs the protective function through its neutralization of TGF-β superfamily. However, under certain circumstances, FST translocates into the nucleus to maintain cellular homeostasis independent of its extracellular antagonism activity. This review provides integrated insight into the most recent advances in understanding the role of FST under various stresses, and the clinical implications corresponding to these findings and discusses the mechanisms to be further studied.
•Follistatin plays a protective role under a variety of stresses.•Follistatin performs the protective function mostly through its extracellular neutralization of TGF-β superfamily.•Follistatin also functions in the nucleus under certain stresses.•The expression of follistatin can be regulated at transcriptional or post-transcriptional level.•Animal studies demonstrated therapeutic potentials of follistatin in a variety of diseases.