HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schneyer, A. L Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Schneyer, A. L

Measurement of activin in physiological fluids

To understand the complex biochemistry and physiology of activin and inhibin requires the development and validation of a number of specific immunoassays. The importance of this endeavour is signified by the tremendous effort spent by a number of laboratories to develop such assays over the past decade. Based on the deduced amino acid sequence obtained when the inhibin- and -β_A/β_B genes were cloned (1), RIAs using synthetic peptides were developed that were quite useful in animal studies (2). Human applications required the further development of a heterologous RIA using purified bovine inhibin as antigen, the result of which was an assay that allowed the charting of inhibin's physiology in a number of settings (3). It was soon discovered that multiple forms of inhibin and its free -subunit exist in physiological fluids (4–7) and these free -subunits cross-react in the existing RIAs, thereby complicating interpretation of results (7).