WFIKKN1 and WFIKKN2: “Companion” proteins regulating TGFB activity

WFIKKN1 and WFIKKN2 (also called Growth and differentiation factor Associated Serum Protein (GASP) 2 and 1, respectively) are secreted proteins originally discovered in 2000 and 2002 by Trexler et al. [1,2]. Due to their predicted protein domain composition and their ubiquitous expression, these proteins are assumed to form a family of multivalent protease inhibitors. In 2003, a major advance in the understanding of the function of this gene family was made when WFIKKN2 was described as an MSTN associated protein found in human and mouse sera that could specifically inhibit MSTN, but not activin activity [3].
Source: Cytokine and Growth Factor Reviews - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Tags: Survey Source Type: research