Compounds / Follistatin

Follistatin

Also known as: FST344 precursor, mature FST315, FST317 precursor, mature FST288

No human data Not FDA-approved Category: Growth Factors

The compounds described in this library are research-use-labeled chemicals and are not FDA-approved for human use. This content is factual scientific reference drawn from published literature. It is not medical, dosing, or purchasing advice. VialReport does not sell, supply, or distribute any compound.

Short summary

A naturally occurring glycoprotein that binds and inhibits members of the TGF-beta family, including myostatin. Sold in research markets as fragments or recombinant preparations. No human clinical evidence for the material sold.

Dive deeper

Origin and Development

Follistatin was first identified in ovarian follicular fluid as an inhibitor of follicle-stimulating hormone secretion. Subsequent work established it as a binding protein for activin and, importantly for the market interest, for myostatin, a negative regulator of muscle mass. The numbered designations are frequently misunderstood: FST344 and FST317 are precursor forms produced by alternative splicing, and after signal-peptide processing FST344 yields the mature circulating FST315 while FST317 yields FST288.

Mechanism as Understood in the Literature

Binds and neutralizes activin and myostatin. Because myostatin acts as a brake on muscle growth, inhibiting it has been a longstanding target of interest in muscle biology. Follistatin is one of several endogenous inhibitors in that pathway.

Research Status

The underlying biology is well studied. Gene therapy approaches using follistatin have been investigated in muscular dystrophy models and in early human work. However, that research is not equivalent to the injectable follistatin fragments sold in research markets, for which there is no human clinical evidence.

Regulatory status

Not FDA-approved for any indication. Prohibited in competitive sport under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, which specifically address myostatin-pathway modulators.

Commonly Confused With

The numbered forms are not simply isoforms of differing length: FST344 and FST317 are precursors, and FST315 and FST288 are the corresponding mature products after processing. Material labeled by precursor number may or may not correspond to the processed form. There is also a significant gap between the follistatin gene therapy literature and the injectable preparations sold in research markets; results from one should not be attributed to the other. Separately distinct from myostatin inhibitors of other classes, such as antibody-based approaches.

How This Compound Is Marketed

Vendor marketing for this compound typically references muscle growth and myostatin inhibition. VialReport does not evaluate or endorse these claims. See Research Status above for what the published literature actually establishes.

Analytical Profile

Follistatin isoforms are glycoproteins of roughly 31 to 38 kDa, far larger than the peptides in most of this library. Native follistatin is glycosylated, which complicates analytical characterization: glycosylation state varies with expression system, affects apparent mass, and is not captured by a purity figure derived from peak area alone. Material sold as follistatin should be characterized against a defined reference for the specific isoform claimed.

Stability and Handling

Proteins of this size and complexity are considerably more fragile than short peptides, with meaningful sensitivity to temperature, freeze-thaw cycling, and surface adsorption.

Key Literature

  1. 01 Lee SJ, McPherron AC. Regulation of myostatin activity and muscle growth. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2001;98(16):9306-9311.
  2. 02 Nakatani M, et al. Transgenic expression of a myostatin inhibitor derived from follistatin increases skeletal muscle mass. FASEB J. 2008;22(2):477-487.

VialReport publishes factual reference information and independent test data. Nothing here is medical, dosing, or purchasing advice.

Published reports

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