FSTL1

Structure

This gene encodes a protein with similarity to follistatin, an BMP-4-binding protein. It binds to BMP-4 and TGF-β1, but not Activin A. It contains an FS module (a follistatin-like sequence containing 10 conserved cysteine residues), a Kazal-type serine protease inhibitor domain, 2 EF hand domains, and a Von Willebrand factor type C domain.

Clinical significance

Development

FSTL1 has a role in development, such as lung development, ureter development, central nervous system development, and skeletal development.

Arthritis

This gene product is thought to be an autoantigen associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

FSTL1 up-regulates proinflammatory mediators important in the pathology of arthritis, and serum levels of FSTL1 correlate with severity of arthritis.

Cardiovascular diseases

FSTL1 protein seems to have a cardioprotective role. FSTL1 attenuated hypertrophy following pressure overload and prevented myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in a mouse or pig model of ischemia/reperfusion. Muscle-derived Fstl1 modulates vascular remodelling in response to injury.

FSTL1 has been shown to have a pronounced ability as a possible therapeutic to stimulate regeneration following myocardial infarction. Treating experimental animals (mouse and pig) with FSTL1 after myocardial infarction progressively restored heart function, at least in part by stimulating replication of normally non-dividing heart muscle cells

References

References

1. (Nov 1994). "Characterization of a rat C6 glioma-secreted follistatin-related protein (FRP). Cloning and sequence of the human homologue". European Journal of Biochemistry.
2. (Sep 1998). "Cloning of follistatin-related protein as a novel autoantigen in systemic rheumatic diseases". [[International Immunology]].
3. "Entrez Gene: FSTL1 follistatin-like 1".
4. (Apr 2011). "Follistatin-like 1 (Fstl1) is a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 4 signaling antagonist in controlling mouse lung development". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
5. (Mar 2010). "Follistatin-like-1, a diffusible mesenchymal factor determines the fate of epithelium". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
6. (Mar 2013). "Follistatin-like 1 in vertebrate development". Birth Defects Research. Part C, Embryo Today.
7. (3 August 2011). "The BMP antagonist follistatin-like 1 is required for skeletal and lung organogenesis". PLOS ONE.
8. (2012). "Fstl1 antagonizes BMP signaling and regulates ureter development". PLOS ONE.
9. (Oct 2009). "The expression pattern of Follistatin-like 1 in mouse central nervous system development". Gene Expression Patterns.
10. (Apr 2012). "FSTL1 promotes arthritis in mice by enhancing inflammatory cytokine/chemokine expression". Arthritis and Rheumatism.
11. (Jul 2015). "Follistatin-like protein 1 regulates chondrocyte proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells". Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
12. (May 2014). "Follistatin-like protein 1 enhances NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated IL-1β secretion from monocytes and macrophages". European Journal of Immunology.
13. (Oct 2011). "Cardiac myocyte follistatin-like 1 functions to attenuate hypertrophy following pressure overload". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
14. (Oct 2012). "Therapeutic impact of follistatin-like 1 on myocardial ischemic injury in preclinical models". Circulation.
15. (Jul 2014). "Muscle-derived follistatin-like 1 functions to reduce neointimal formation after vascular injury". Cardiovascular Research.
16. (Sep 2015). "Epicardial FSTL1 reconstitution regenerates the adult mammalian heart". Nature.