TMEFF2 is a type I transmembrane protein with two follistatin (FS) and one EGF-like domain over-expressed in prostate cancer; however its biological role in prostate cancer development and progression remains unclear, which may, at least in part, be explained by its proteolytic processing.
The transmembrane protein with epidermal growth factor and two follistatin motifs, TMEFF2, has been implicated in prostate cancer but its role in this disease is unclear.
The loss of endogenous BMP-7 from prostate cancer cells is associated with increased invasiveness and motility, which appears to be facilitated by changes in the level of the BMP antagonists noggin and follistatin.
TENB2 encodes a putative transmembrane proteoglycan, related to the EGF/heregulin family of growth factors and follistatin, which has been identified through the application of a differential display technique to a xenograft model of prostate cancer.
The results demonstrate that activins and follistatins are synthesized in tissues from men with high grade prostate cancer, and that messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein for the activin beta A- and beta B-subunits and follistatin is expressed and localized to poorly differentiated tumor cells.