Cloning of a New Member of the TGF-β Family: A Putative New Activin βC Chain

Abstract The complete amino acid sequence of a new member of the TGF-β superfamily has been determined through initial degenerate PCR, subsequent cloning and nucleotide sequencing of the human cDNA. Amino acid homology comparison among members of this superfamily suggests it to be a new member of the activin/inhibin subgroup. The proposed mature part of the precursor shows 53 % amino acid identity to the activin β B and 51 % identity to the activin β A chain whereas β A and β B show an identity of 64 % to each other.