Title:An Overview on Functional and Structural Properties of Monomeric and
Multimeric β-Thymosin in Invertebrates
Volume: 29
Issue: 1
Author(s): Lili Gao, Mujie Huang, Hongkuan Deng and Qiuxiang Pang*
Affiliation:
- Anti-aging & Regenerative Medicine Research Institution, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology,
Zibo 255049, PR China
- Laboratory of Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong
University of Technology, Zibo 255049, PR China
Keywords:
β-thymosin, Tβ4, multimeric β-thymosin, structure, function, munomeric, β-thymosin.
Abstract: β-thymosin 4 (Tβ4) is a prototypical actin-monomer sequestering protein that plays an
important role in mammalian cells and tissues. In vertebrates, Tβ4 is involved in various physiological
and pathophysiological processes, such as angiogenesis, hair follicle and hair regeneration, nervous
system development, inflammatory response, wound healing, tumour metastasis, and liver
and heart protection. Additionally, thymosin domain-containing protein was discovered in invertebrates
and was recently shown to be more homologous to Tβ4. However, the structural and functional
properties are more complex and diverse than those of Tβ4. In this review article, we will discuss
in detail the structural and functional aspects of β-thymosin in invertebrates.
