Background
ACVR2A and ACVR2B are two activin type II receptors. ACVR2B is integral to the activin and myostatin signaling pathway. Ligands such as activin and myostatin bind to ACVR2A and ACVR2B. Myostatin, a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth, is regarded as a potential therapeutic target and binds to ACVR2B effectively, and to a lesser extent, to ACVR2A. The structure of human ACVR2B kinase domain in complex with adenine establishes the conserved bilobal architecture consistent with all other catalytic kinase domains. Haplotype structure at the ACVR2B and follistatin loci may contribute to interindividual variation in skeletal muscle mass and strength. Defects in ACVR2B are a cause of left-right axis malformations.