By Ashlyn Rauch Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ginny Morriss Abstract Activin β (Actβ) is a dimeric protein that regulates muscle growth and differentiation as part of the TGF-β superfamily of proteins. In humans, Actβ stimulates muscle atrophy; however, in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, Actβ can positively regulate muscle growth. The goal of this project was…