ArticleNature communications2017
Activin A more prominently regulates muscle mass in primates than does GDF8.
Article in Nature communications, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 116 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
116 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 170 citations in OpenAlex.
- Circulating biomarkers in older adults with and without sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Association and causality between diabetes and activin A: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Pooled it
- Targeting Cancer Cachexia: A Mechanistic Evaluation of Anti-GDF-15 Antibody-Based Combination Therapies.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026Trial
- GDF8 and activin A are the key negative regulators of muscle mass in postmenopausal females: a randomized phase I trial.Nature communications · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Biomarkers of Cellular Senescence Predict the Onset of Mobility Disability and Are Reduced by Physical Activity in Older Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2024Trial
- Effects of 16 Weeks of Resistance Training on Muscle Quality and Muscle Growth Factors in Older Adult Women with Sarcopenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Garetosmab (Anti-Activin A): Results From a First-in-Human Phase 1 Study.Journal of clinical pharmacology · 2020Trial
- Short-term treatment with high dose liraglutide improves lipid and lipoprotein profile and changes hormonal mediators of lipid metabolism in obese patients with no overt type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over, double-blind clinical trial.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2019Trial
- Locally acting ACE-083 increases muscle volume in healthy volunteers.Muscle & nerve · 2018Trial
- Genetic and Pharmacologic Inhibition of Myostatin Restores Muscle Mass in a Dynamin 2-Related Centronuclear Myopathy Mouse Model.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026Article
- From Molecular Pathways to Artificial Intelligence: Advancing the Understanding and Management of Osteosarcopenia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Targeting the activin/myostatin - actrii pathway to preserve skeletal muscle mass in obesity: mechanistic insights and therapeutic perspectives.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026Review
- A Lineup for Next Anti-Obesity Medicines: Beyond Incretin-Based Pharmacotherapy.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Myostatin Inhibitory D‑Peptides Induce Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy along with Alteration of Bioactive Sphingolipid Metabolism.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2026Article
- Active immunization against myostatin and activin A improves skeletal muscle performance in growth hormone-deficient mice.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Periodontitis induces skeletal muscle atrophy by increasing circulating levels of activin A.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Humans with function-disrupting variants in the myostatin gene (MSTN) have increased skeletal muscle mass and strength, and less adiposity.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Activin A secretion by muscle-repairing macrophages induces heterotopic ossification in mice.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Article
- ACE-031, a soluble activin type IIB receptor, increases muscle mass and strength in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).PloS one · 2026Article
56 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
19 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Growth and differentiation factor 8 (GDF8) is a TGF-β superfamily member, and negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. GDF8 inhibition results in prominent muscle growth in mice, but less impressive hypertrophy in primates, including man. Broad TGF-β inhibition suggests another family member negatively regulates muscle mass, and its blockade enhances muscle growth seen with GDF8-specific inhibition. Here we show that activin A is the long-sought second negative muscle regulator. Activin A specific inhibition, on top of GDF8 inhibition, leads to pronounced muscle hypertrophy and force production in mice and monkeys. Inhibition of these two ligands mimics the hypertrophy seen with broad TGF-β blockers, while avoiding the adverse effects due to inhibition of multiple family members. Altogether, we identify activin A as a second negative regulator of muscle mass, and suggest that inhibition of both ligands provides a preferred therapeutic approach, which maximizes the benefit:risk ratio for muscle diseases in man.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.