Identification, evolution and expression of an insulin-like peptide in the cephalochordate Branchiostoma lanceolatum

Insulin is one of the most studied proteins since it is central to the regulation of carbohydrate and fat metabolism in vertebrates and its expression and release are disturbed in diabetes, the most frequent human metabolic disease worldwide. However, the evolution of the function of the insulin protein family is still unclear. In this study, we present a phylogenetic and developmental analysis of the Insulin Like Peptide (ILP) in the cephalochordate amphioxus. We identified an ILP in the European amphioxus Branchiostoma lanceolatum that displays structural characteristics of both vertebrate insulin and Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGFs). Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that amphioxus ILP represents the sister group of both vertebrate insulin and IGF proteins. We also characterized both temporal and spatial expression of ILP in amphioxus. We show that ilp is highly expressed in endoderm and paraxial mesoderm during development, and mainly expressed in the gut of both the developing embryo and adult. We hypothesize that ILP has critical implications in both developmental processes and metabolism and could display IGF- and insulin-like functions in amphioxus supporting the idea of a common ancestral protein.

Solution structure of recombinant somatomedin B domain from vitronectin produced in Pichia pastoris

The cysteine-rich somatomedin B domain (SMB) of the matrix protein vitronectin is involved in several important biological processes. First, it stabilizes the active conformation of the plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1); second, it provides the recognition motif for cell adhesion via the cognate integrins (alpha(v)beta(3), alpha(v)beta(5), and alpha(IIb)beta(3)); and third, it binds the complex between urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its glycolipid-anchored receptor (uPAR). Previous structural studies on SMB have used recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli or SMB released from plasma-derived vitronectin by CNBr cleavage. However, different disulfide patterns and three-dimensional structures for SMB were reported. In the present study, we have expressed recombinant human SMB by two different eukaryotic expression systems, Pichia pastoris and Drosophila melanogaster S2-cells, both yielding structurally and functionally homogeneous protein preparations. Importantly, the entire population of our purified, recombinant SMB has a solvent exposure, both as a free domain and in complex with PAI-1, which is indistinguishable from that of plasma-derived SMB as assessed by amide hydrogen ((1)H/(2)H) exchange. This solvent exposure was only reproduced by one of three synthetic SMB products with predefined disulfide connectivities corresponding to those published previously. Furthermore, this connectivity was also the only one to yield a folded and functional domain. The NMR structure was determined for free SMB produced by Pichia and is largely consistent with that solved by X-ray crystallography for SMB in complex with PAI-1.

Immunohistochemical detection of components of the insulin-like growth factor system during skeletal muscle growth in the pig

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system plays an important role in postnatal somatic and skeletal muscle growth in pigs. There is little information on the occurrence and distribution of components of the IGF system in postnatal porcine skeletal muscle. IGF-I, IGF receptor 1 (IGF1R) and the IGF-binding proteins IGFBP-1 and -3 in longissimus dorsi and triceps brachii were localized in muscle biopsies from 12 commercially crossbred pigs aged from 28 to 199 days as well as from the sire generation, by immunohistochemistry. Plasma IGF-I concentrations were also determined using radio-immunoassays. Unlike other species, IGF-I was localized in porcine skeletal muscle fibres. Staining intensity correlated with the highest plasma IGF-I levels and phases of intensive muscle growth from the 11th to 22nd week. The pattern of IGF1R immunostaining, which was strong, correlated with that of IGF-I, IGF1R was also localized in endomysial tissues. IGFBP-1 was not detected within muscle fibres, but was found in the endomysium and vessel walls, while IGFBP-3 was localized with IGF-1 and its receptor. Higher magnification revealed that IGF1R, IGFBP-3 and probably IGF-I appeared in the tubular system. Inhibitory as well as stimulating controls of IGFBP-1 and -3 on IGF functions are discussed, which may maintain a balance between autocrine growth promoting activities of IGF-I and IGF1R.

Identification of insulin-like peptides in cerebral ganglia neurosecretory cells of the mussel Mytilus edulis

The immunostaining patterns of cerebral ganglia sections from the mussel Mytilus edulis with monoclonal antibodies raised against cerebral ganglia (CG) extracts were compared to those obtained with various polyclonal anti-insulin-like antibodies. One of the monoclonal antibodies (MAB 46) revealed clusters of positive cells in localization comparable to those revealed by the polyclonal antibodies. The nature of the antigen recognized by MAB 46 and the polyclonal antibodies was compared by gel filtration-HPLC of a cerebral ganglia extract. Similar peaks were revealed by the monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. MAB 46 significantly inhibited the cerebral ganglia induced stimulation of amino-acid incorporation by mantle edge cell suspensions, suggesting that the antigen recognized by MAB 46 is involved in the control of growth.

Differential distribution of insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins within bone: relationship to bone mineral density

To evaluate the possibility that insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins (BPs) in bone play a role in regulating cortical bone formation in growing animals, we compared changes in IGF and IGF BP levels with changes in bone mineral density (BMD) at three different regions (proximal, middle, and distal) along the rabbit femoral shaft. BMD measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry decreased progressively from proximal to distal regions of the shaft, from 0.449 +/- 0.005 to 0.354 +/- 0.002 g/cm2 (mean +/- SEM; n = 9), respectively; total protein concentrations also decreased toward the distal region. We extracted the IGFs and their BPs from bone by demineralization in 10% EDTA and 4 M guanidine-HCl (pH 4.5). The IGFs were then separated from their BPs by size exclusion HPLC. The pH of the extraction buffer profoundly influenced the recoveries of the IGFs and, to a lesser extent, the total protein; at least 100% more IGFs were recovered at acid (4.5) pH than at neutral (7.5) or basic (10.5) pH. The levels of IGF-I decreased markedly from proximal to distal regions, from 273 +/- 27 to 100 +/- 38 ng human IGF-I equivalent/g bone (or 103 +/- 10 to 52 +/- 11 ng human IGF-I equivalent/mg protein), respectively. IGF-II was uniformly distributed (385 +/- 17 ng human IGF-II equivalent/g bone; mean of all three regions). Levels of the predominant 28-32 kD IGF BP doublet increased by about 100% from proximal to distal segments, regardless of whether the data were expressed per unit mass or protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of interactions between IGFBPs and IGFs on the plasma clearance and in vivo biological activities of IGFs and IGF analogs

The relative activities in vivo of IGFs that differ in their association affinities towards IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) have been examined in a series of comparisons between IGF-I and LR3IGF-I. IGF-I has approximately 1000 fold higher affinity than LR3IGF-I towards IGFBP-3, IGFBP-4, total rat plasma IGFBPs and L6 myoblast BP. In cultured L6 myoblasts the reduced association with IGFBPs gives LR3IGF-I a 5-10 fold greater biological potency. Chronic administration of the peptides over 14 days to normal female rats produces marked increases in body weight, nitrogen retention and food conversion efficiency as well as retention of the carcass composition and fractional weights of the gut, spleen and thymus that are characteristic of the younger age. In the growth measurements LR3IGF-I is 6 fold more potent than IGF-I, thus reflecting the in vitro difference. In a second series of experiments in which the clearance rates of the two peptides were compared, LR3IGF-I was shown to be removed from the plasma much more rapidly than was IGF-I, a difference reflecting the poor association of LR3IGF-I with plasma IGFBPs. The crucial relevance of binding protein association in explaining the difference was confirmed in pregnant rats where IGFBP levels are markedly reduced. In this condition only the clearance of IGF-I was affected to produce a clearance rate almost as rapid as that found with LR3IGF-I. These experiments demonstrate that an IGF variant which associates poorly with IGFBPs is removed more rapidly from the blood and is more potent than IGF-I.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-3), an inhibitor of serum growth factors other than IGF-I and -II

Our results show that an insulin-like growth factor binding protein, IGFBP-3, purified from rat serum, is an inhibitor of chick embryo fibroblast (CEF) growth. It abolished DNA synthesis in CEF stimulated by IGF-I as well as by human serum. Rat IGFBP-3 and IDF45 (an inhibitory diffusible factor secreted by mouse cells) had the same activities, confirming that they have an intrinsic capacity to inhibit serum stimulation and may be considered as growth inhibitors. Our data show that inhibition by IGFBP-3 of serum stimulation was not simply the result of its inhibition of IGF present in the serum: 1) While anti-IGF-I IgG was able to completely inhibit stimulation induced by added IGF-I, it did not decrease stimulation induced by 1% human serum. Anti-IGF-II IgG inhibited the stimulation induced by added IGF-II, but only 25% decreased the stimulation induced by 0.7% serum. The percent inhibition was not significantly increased when the concentration of serum was decreased to 0.2%, which induced 140% stimulation of DNA synthesis; 2) stimulation by 0.2% serum was much more inhibited by IGFBP-3 than by IgG anti IGF-II; 3) after separation of IGF-I and IGF-II from serum by chromatography of acidified serum proteins on BioGel P150, the remaining serum proteins (with a molecular mass greater than 45 kDa) which were depleted in IGF-I and -II (verified by RIA determination) still stimulated DNA synthesis, and this stimulation was 80% inhibited by IGFBP-3.

Cloning and characterization of the human insulin-like growth factor-I receptor gene 5'-flanking region

The insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGFIR) is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that mediates the action of insulin-like growth factors. The cDNAs for the human IGFIR have been cloned and expressed, but the structures of the gene and its promoter have not been elucidated. In this study, we isolated an IGFIR promoter clone from a human chromosome 15 library. This clone contained the promoter, first exon, and a portion of the first intron. Sequence analysis of the 5' region that contained the promoter revealed that it lacked both TATA and CAAT boxes. The promoter contained binding sites for the transcription factors Sp1, AP-2, and the epidermal growth factor receptor transcription factor (ETF). Primer extension analysis of IGFIR mRNA indicated the presence of a single transcription start site 1,012 bp upstream from the ATG. When the putative promoter was ligated into a promoterless CAT vector and transfected mto HEPG2 cells, CAT activity was expressed, indicating that promoter activity was contained in this fragment. Other constructs containing the promoter and portions of the 5' untranslated region were used in transfection studies, and indicated that the 5' untranslated regions may play a role in promoter activity. Comparison of the human IGFIR promoter with that of the rat IGFIR promoter revealed significant sequence homology. Comparison of the IGFIR promoter with that of the human insulin receptor (IR) revealed structural similarities, although the arrangement of promoter elements differed.

The role of insulin-related substance in Hodgkin's disease

An insulin-related growth-promoting substance was detected in the serum of a patient with Hodgkin's disease who suffered from severe hypoglycaemia, as well as in the supernatant of homogenized spleen tissue of the same patient. Low concentrations of this substance enhanced DNA synthesis of short-term-cultured spleen tumour cells obtained from the same patient, while the addition of anti-insulin antiserum interfered with that effect. Moreover, the preincubation of this insulin-related substance with the anti-insulin antiserum abrogated its stimulatory effect on tumour cell proliferation. Both insulin and the insulin-related substance bound to patients splenocytes to a similar extent. The data suggest that the insulin-related substance, found in this particular case of Hodgkin's disease, plays a role in tumour progression by an autocrine mechanism.

Purification of a colon cancer cell growth inhibitor and its identification as an insulin-like growth factor binding protein

We have purified a protein from serum-free conditioned medium of the HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cell line based on its ability to inhibit the proliferation of the same cell line. The purification procedure consisted of acid gel permeation, semipreparative, and analytical reversed-phase chromatographies. The high-pressure liquid chromatography-purified colon cancer cell growth inhibitor migrates as a single band of 27 and 34 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels under nonreducing and reducing conditions, respectively. NH2-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the first 32 residues has demonstrated that this protein belongs to the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP) family. More precisely, this growth inhibitor appeared to be identical to the recently cloned human IGFBP-4. This IGFBP (HT29-IGFBP) has been characterized by performing ligand blotting and competitive binding experiments. The affinity of HT29-IGFBP for insulin-like growth factor (IGF) II (approximately 3.4 x 10(10) M-1) is slightly greater than its affinity for IGF-I (approximately 1.4 x 10(10) M-1). HT29 cells also produce two other isoforms (28 and 31 kDa, nonreduced) of the HT29-IGFBP having the same partial NH2-terminal amino acid sequence as the 27-kDa protein. The monoclonal antibody alpha IR-3 is known to block the mitogenic actions of IGFs. alpha IR-3 inhibited the growth of HT29 cells, thus suggesting that IGFs are required for the growth of these colon cancer cells.

Purification and assay of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1: measurement of circulating levels throughout pregnancy

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) has been purified from amniotic fluid by anion exchange, hydrophobic interaction and gel filtration chromatography. The overall recovery of the purification process was 12.2%. The purified IGFBP-1 yielded a single band on SDS-PAGE gel but showed two bands (34 kDa and 68 kDa) on Western blot under non-reducing conditions. Polyclonal antisera were raised by immunization of sheep using the purified IGFBP-1. The best antiserum bound 50% of 125I-labelled IGFBP-1 at a final dilution of 1:500,000. A radioimmunoassay for IGFBP-1 was developed. This assay had a minimum detection limit of 5 micrograms/l, and was used to determine serum levels in non-pregnant and pregnant women. There was no cross-reaction with a wide variety of materials tested. Serum IGFBP-1 levels in non-pregnant individuals (33 +/- 16 (S.D.) micrograms/l) were found to be significantly lower than those in the second (96 +/- 64 micrograms/l) and third trimesters (95 +/- 60 micrograms/l) of pregnant women. During pregnancy, circulating IGFBP-1 levels increased rapidly in the first trimester and reached a peak at 12-13 weeks of gestation (107 +/- 75 micrograms/l). The level then remained at 80 +/- 53 to 103 +/- 70 micrograms/l until term.

Isolation and partial characterization of IGF-like peptides from Cohn fraction IV of human plasma

IGFs were extracted from Cohn fraction IV of human plasma using ultrafiltration of acidified paste as the initial step. Further purification, including HPLC as the final steps, yielded seven IGF-like peptides: two with acidic pI (A1, A2), two with neutral pI (N1, N2), and three in the basic region (B1, B2 and B3). B1 was identified as IGF-I and N1 as IGF-II. The other peptides were further characterized with respect to their molecular weight and by N-terminal amino-acid sequencing. B2 and B3 are IGF-I-like, A1 and A2 and N2 are IGF-II-like. Two of the peptides (A2 and B3) appear to be two-chain forms of IGF-II and IGF-I, respectively, as shown by structural analysis and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. One peptide (A1) appears to be a new variant of an IGF-II derivative with a substitution of Ser by Cys in position 29. Further analysis involved reactivity in radioreceptor assays for IGF-I and IGF-II. N2, A1 and A2 are IGF-II-like, whereas B2 and B3 are IGF-I-like, though there are important differences with the main IGFs. Similar results were obtained in IGF-I and IGF-II C-peptide radioimmunoassays. The physiological significance of these peptides is unknown. They offer interesting perspectives for structure-function analysis.

A simple and efficient scheme for the purification of insulin-like growth factor II from human bone matrix extract

Human insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) has been purified to homogeneity from bone which contained 10-15 times more IGF-II than insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). After extraction of IGF-II by demineralization of human bone powder with 10% EDTA containing 4M guanidine HCl at pH 7.4, IGF-II was separated from IGF binding proteins by hydroxylapatite chromatography in the presence of 4M guanidine HCl. The hydroxylapatite unbound fraction containing IGF-II was purified by affinity chromatography using Sm 1.2. monoclonal antibodies, which bind both IGF-I and IGF-II. The final purification of IGF-II was achieved by FPLC mono S ion-exchange chromatography in which IGF-II was separated from IGF-I. Human IGF-II thus purified was shown to be pure by (1) HPLC reverse-phase chromatography, (2) SDS-PAGE, and (3) N-terminal amino acid sequence. From 300 g of bone, 0.18 mg IGF-II was obtained with an overall recovery of 42%. These studies demonstrate the usefulness of (1) bone as a source of IGF-II purification and (2) antibodies that cross-react with both IGF-I and IGF-II for affinity purification of IGFs.

Identification of a type 1 insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGF BP) in serum from rats with diabetes mellitus

Circulating insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGF BP) activity is increased in animals with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Separation of BPs by SDS/PAGE for ligand and immunoblot analysis revealed that a 32,000 molecular weight BP is present and increased in diabetic serum. This BP is immunologically distinct from the low molecular weight fetal rat BP (rBP2) and is related to the human amniotic fluid BP (hBP1) that is increased in patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Purification, amino acid sequences and assay cross-reactivities of porcine insulin-like growth factor-I and -II

Porcine insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF-II have been characterized to help define the roles of these peptides in the growth process. The amino acid sequence of porcine IGF-I was found to be identical to the human and bovine peptides. Porcine IGF-II was more similar to human IGF-II than to forms of this growth factor in other mammalian species, differing only in the replacement of asparagine for serine at residue 36. In a biological assay that measures the stimulation of protein synthesis in rat L6 myoblasts, porcine IGF-I was approximately ninefold more potent than porcine IGF-II or bovine IGF-II, while recombinant human IGF-I and IGF-II had half the potency of the respective natural peptides. Porcine and recombinant human IGF-I showed essentially equal competition for binding in a human IGF-I radioimmunoassay while between 0.6 and 1.5% cross-reactivity was observed with human, bovine or porcine IGF-II. A receptor assay for IGF-II demonstrated similar potencies for the three IGF-II peptides, while the cross-reactivity of recombinant human IGF-I was only 0.05%. Porcine IGF-I exhibited a higher cross-reactivity, presumably due to very slight contamination with IGF-II.

Human platelet-derived mitogens. I. Identification of insulinlike growth factors I and II by purification and N alpha amino acid sequence analysis

Human platelet lysates contained potent mitogenic activities for MCF-7 human breast-cancer cells in serum-free-defined media. Because these activities were not replaced by known platelet mitogens, such as platelet-derived growth factor or transforming growth factor beta, we sought to identify the breast cancer cell mitogens by purification and N alpha amino-acid sequencing. Acetic acid extracts of outdated human platelets were concentrated by ammonium sulfate precipitation and fractionated on Sephadex G-50 and Bio-Gel P-10 columns in 0.5 mol/L acetic acid. Two major activities were resolved by molecular sieve methods and fractionated further by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Purifications (70,000 to 870,000-fold) were accomplished yielding mol wt 7,400 products that were homogeneous as determined by iodination, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and autoradiography. The factors were identified as insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I) and II (IGF-II) and truncated IGF-I by N alpha amino acid microsequencing. In dose-response experiments, platelet-derived IGF-I and IGF-II promoted multiple divisions of the MCF-7 cells with ED50 values of 12 and 100 pg/mL, respectively. The specific activities and other bioassay characteristics of platelet-derived IGF-I and IGF-II were similar to those of recombinant-produced human growth factors. This is the first report of the purification of insulinlike growth factors from human platelet lysates.

Simultaneous isolation of insulin-like growth factors I and II from adult sheep serum

Ovine insulin-like growth factors I and II (oIGF-I and oIGF-II) have been purified from adult sheep serum. oIGF-II-like receptor-binding activity and IGF-I-like immunoactivity were enriched on SP-Sephadex C-25, then purified using HPLC in the presence of a variety of counter ions. IGF-I- and IGF-II-like activities were separated using HPLC in the presence of 0.2% tetrabutylammonium phosphate at pH 7.0. The final recovery of oIGF-I was 82.6 micrograms from 3.2 litres of adult sheep serum (a yield of 17.6%), and the recovery of oIGF-II was 388 micrograms (a yield of 13.3%). Both IGF preparations were considered to be homogeneous as judged by single sharp peaks during analytical HPLC, and unique N-terminal amino acid sequences. Purified ovine IGFs had molecular weights similar to that of other IGFs (approximately 7000), and the first 30 N-terminal amino acids of both peptides were identical to their human counterparts. The isoelectric points of oIGF-I (pI approximately 8.2) and oIGF-II (pI approximately 6.8) were similar to those of human (h) IGFs (hIGF-I pI approximately 8.2; hIGF-II pI approximately 6.5), and the overall amino acid content of the ovine IGFs was also similar to that of IGFs from other species. oIGF-II preparations from fetal sheep and from adult sheep appeared to be identical. The isolation procedure represents one of general utility that can be easily modified to facilitate the isolation of recombinant IGFs from culture fluid.

High molecular weight insulin-like growth factor binding protein complex. Purification and properties of the acid-labile subunit from human serum

In the human circulation, the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) circulate as part of a growth hormone-dependent 125- to 150-kDa complex. This complex has been postulated to contain, in addition to IGFs and one or more IGF-binding proteins, an acid-labile subunit (ALS) which does not itself bind IGFs. In this study, the ALS has been purified 1600-fold from human serum, and its binding properties have been examined. Fresh serum was fractionated on DEAE-Sephadex, and active fractions (determined by radioimmunoassay) were purified by affinity chromatography on an IGF-agarose column saturated with the plasma IGF-binding protein BP-53. After further high performance anion exchange chromatography, an ALS preparation was obtained which contained only an 84-86-kDa protein doublet, converting to a single 70-kDa band on N-glycanase treatment, and having an amino-terminal sequence unrelated to IGF-binding proteins or receptors. Pure ALS formed a complex with BP-53 (Ka approximately 5 x 10(8) M-1), immunoprecipitable by anti-BP-53 antiserum, only in the presence of IGF-I or IGF-II. This complex appeared at approximately 150 kDa on high performance gel chromatography. Pure ALS had no intrinsic IGF-binding activity and no effect on the binding of IGF-I or IGF-II to BP-53. These studies suggest that formation of the high molecular weight IGF-binding protein complex requires ALS, BP-53, and IGF.

Isolation and characterization of a glycosylated form of human insulin-like growth factor I produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Expression and secretion of human insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was achieved by linking an actin (ACT) promoter to an MF alpha 1 prepro leader peptide/IGF-I gene fusion. Purified human IGF-I from yeast culture media was found to contain, in addition to the native form, also a glycosylated variant. Structural studies showed that both IGF-I forms were processed identically, resulting in 70-amino-acid long polypeptides, with intact N-terminal and C-terminal residues of glycine and alanine, respectively. The glycosylation site was determined to threonine-29 (Thr29), by 1H NMR spectroscopy and protein sequence analysis of an isolated tryptic peptide(22-36). No other glycosylation sites were found. Only mannose was detected in the sugar analysis, with an estimated content of 4.5% w/w corresponding to 2 mannose residues per molecule of IGF-I. The carbohydrate structure, determined by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, was found to be alpha-D-Manp(1----2)alpha-D-Manp(1----3)Thr corresponding to an O-linked glycoprotein structure. No other post-translational modifications could be identified in the glycosylated IGF-I form. Furthermore, this form was highly active, comparable to native IGF-I, exhibiting a specific activity of 20,500 units/mg, as determined by a radio-receptor assay.

Structure and activity dependence of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor II on disulfide bond pairing

The complete peptide map of purified folded recombinant human insulin-like growth factor II (rhIGF-II) was determined to verify its sequence and disulfide bonding scheme. Each peptide generated by digestion with pepsin was purified and characterized by amino acid analysis, amino acid sequence analysis, and fast atom bombardment/mass spectrometry. Some peptides were also sequenced using tandem mass spectrometry. The rhIGF-II peptide map was compared to that of rat insulin-like growth factor II and to that of a disulfide-bonded isomer of rhIGF-II. The data obtained in these studies are consistent with the conclusion that the rhIGF-II obtained from Escherichia coli has the correct amino acid composition, sequence, and the native disulfide-bonded structure. The binding affinities of these forms of recombinant IGF-II for IGF carrier proteins were measured in an IGF binding protein assay. The disulfide isomer of rhIGF-II was 160-fold less potent than native rhIGF-II in the competitive protein binding assay. These studies illustrate the need to characterize recombinant polypeptides containing disulfide bonds to allow the native structure to be verified before characterizing the biological properties of such molecules in hopes of elucidating their physiologic functions.

Release of insulin-like growth factor carrier proteins by osteoblasts: stimulation by estradiol and growth hormone

Osteoblast-like rat calvaria cells release specific insulin-like growth factor (IGF) carrier proteins (CPs). As analyzed by SDS-PAGE under nonreducing conditions, Western blotting and detection by 125I-IGFs, CPs migrating with the IGF-binding subunits of the major CP species of rat serum (42/45/49 kDa) accumulate in cell culture medium. Treatment of the cells with growth hormone and estradiol increases the abundance of this glycosylated CP species. Since the two hormones were previously found to stimulate osteoblast replication via an IGF I-dependent mechanism, the data indicate that hormones may control local IGF action not only by regulating synthesis of IGFs and their receptors but also their presentation by CPs.

Identification and purification of truncated insulin-like growth factor I from porcine uterus. Evidence for high biological potency

We report the completion of the purification of uterine-derived growth factors (UDGF) described previously by this laboratory [Ikeda, T., & Sirbasku, D.A. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4049-4064]. During isolation, the mitogenic activity was monitored by using the human MCF-7 breast cancer cells in serum-free Ham's F12 and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (1:1, v/v) containing 15 mM 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (pH 7.2), 200 micrograms/mL bovine serum albumin, and 10 micrograms/mL human transferrin. This medium sustained growth for several days in response to a single addition of growth factor. The isolation of UDGF began with acetic acid extraction followed by sulfopropyl-Sephadex chromatography, Bio-Gel P-10 molecular sieve fractionation, and a series of reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography separations. Purifications [[(1.0-8.5) X 10(6)]-fold] of three mitogens (5-20 ng each) were achieved. The mitogens were shown by protein microsequencing to be DES 1----3 to DES 1----6 forms of insulin-like growth factor I (truncated IGF-I). An Mr estimated by 125I labeling, urea-sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and autoradiography was consistent with a DES 1----3(4) N alpha truncation. Immunoadsorption and radioimmunoassay confirmed immunological properties equivalent to IGF-I. Radioreceptor assays showed truncated IGF-I was functionally equivalent to recombinant IGF-I. The ED50 values of DES 1----3 IGF-I and recombinant IGF-I for MCF-7 cell growth were 0.8-6.0 and 30-150 pg/mL, respectively. With Balb/c 3T3 mouse fibroblasts, the ED50 of DES 1----3 IGF-I was 100 times lower than that of IGF-I. We conclude that the major acid-stable low-Mr mitogenic activities isolated from uterus are very potent forms of truncated IGF-I capable of stimulating growth of epithelial and mesenchymal cells.

Isolation of growth factors from adult bovine bone

Fetal rat calvariae synthesize transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta), beta 2 microglobulin (beta 2 m), and insulinlike growth factor I (IGF I), but, except for TGF beta, it is not known if these polypeptides are also present in adult bone tissue. Pulverized bovine bone, extracted with 0.5 N HCl and 4 M guanidine HCl and fractionated by gel filtration, was found to contain several biologically active components when tested for its effects on DNA synthesis in osteoblast-rich cell cultures. TGF beta, beta 2 m, and IGF I were identified and further purified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). TGF beta, identified by a standard TGF beta bioassay or by immunoreactivity, was purified by muBondapak C18 and muBondapak CN reversed phase HPLC. beta 2 m, identified by immunoreactivity, required an additional fractionation step on a DEAE-HPLC column for complete purification. IGF I, identified by immunoreactivity, was purified by HPLC using a muBondapak C18 and a DEAE-HPLC column. Purified TGF beta, beta 2 m, and IGF I migrated as single bands on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with respective molecular masses of 24,000, 10,000, and 7,500. In conclusion, adult bone matrix, like fetal bone cultures, contains TGF beta, beta 2 m, and IGF I and these factors may play a role in adult skeletal remodeling.

An effective method for the separation of insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2 during the purification process

The separation of human insulin-like growth factors hIGF-1 and hIGF-2 was greatly improved by an additional purification step using the cation exchanger Mono-S (FPLC) compared to previous studies. Cross-reactions between hIGF-1 and hIGF-2 were strongly reduced. The more highly purified hIGF-1 had a cross-reaction of less than 1% in the RIA for hIGF-2, and was equivalent to recombinant hIGF-1. The pure hIGF-2 had a cross-reaction of less than 1% in the RIA for hIGF-1. In the human placental hIGF-2 radioreceptor assay, the hIGF-1 polypeptide completed less than 1% with hIGF-2 when the type 1 IGF receptor was blocked with insulin.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein complementary deoxyribonucleic acid from human HEP G2 hepatoma cells: predicted protein sequence suggests an IGF binding domain different from those of the IGF-I and IGF-II receptors

The primary structure of an insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein produced by human HEP G2 hepatoma cells has been deduced from the cDNA sequence. The 234 amino acid protein has a predicted molecular mass of 25,274 and contains a single, distinctive cysteine-rich region. The N-terminal sequence of this protein is quite similar to the limited sequence data available for a rat IGF binding protein produced by BRL-3A cells and suggests a common ancestral origin. In contrast, the HEP G2 IGF binding protein sequence bears no similarity to the N-terminal 15 amino acids of a 53 kilodalton binding protein purified from human plasma. Comparison of full-length protein sequences for the IGF-I and IGF-II receptors with that of the HEP G2 IGF binding protein also fails to demonstrate any significant similarities among these three proteins, and suggests that each contains a unique binding domain for the IGF peptides.

Purification, partial sequences and properties of chicken insulin-like growth factors

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF-II have been purified to homogeneity from chicken serum as a step towards the characterization of the roles for these peptides in the growth process. Chicken IGF-I had about half the efficacy of bovine/human IGF-I in a bioassay and in radioimmunoassays with bovine IGF-I as radioligand. Chicken IGF-II competed for the binding of bovine IGF-II to cell receptors while chicken IGF-I reacted minimally in this IGF-II radioreceptor assay. Further evidence of homology was obtained by N-terminal sequence analysis of the first 31 and 35 amino acids of chicken IGF-I and IGF-II respectively. Chicken IGF-I had the same N-terminal as human IGF-I, with the exception of the substitution of serine for asparagine at residue 26. Chicken IGF-II had a unique N-terminal tetrapeptide Tyr-Gly-Thr-Ala, but from residues 5-30 the sequence was identical to that reported for residues 6-31 of human IGF-II. Substitutions also occurred corresponding to residues 32, 33, 35 and 36 of human IGF-II. A variant form of chicken IGF-II that had the same N-terminal pentapeptide as human IGF-II was also detected.

Insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2 in bovine colostrum. Sequences and biological activities compared with those of a potent truncated form

1. Insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2 (IGF-1 and IGF-2) together with a truncated form of IGF-1 were purified to homogeneity from bovine colostrum. 2. Two forms of IGF-1 were totally resolved from IGF-2 in the purification by h.p.l.c. involving cation-exchange and reverse-phase columns. 3. The complete amino acid sequences for all three forms of IGF were determined. The sequence of bovine IGF-1 was found to be identical with that of human IGF-1, and that of the variant lacked the N-terminal tripeptide Gly-Pro-Glu (-3N:IGF-1). Bovine IGF-2 was found to differ in three residues of the C-domain compared with human IGF-2, with serine, isoleucine and asparagine substituted for alanine, valine and serine respectively at positions 32, 35 and 36. 4. Protein synthesis in L6 rat myoblasts was stimulated and protein degradation inhibited in a co-ordinate response with all three IGFs. The relative potency in both processes was -3N:IGF-1 greater than IGF-1 greater than IGF-2. A similar order of potency was obtained for the stimulation of DNA synthesis by -3N:IGF-1 and IGF-1. The approximately 10-fold effect on biological activity of removing the N-terminal tripeptide is unexpected in view of current information on IGF-1 structure and function.

Isolation and characterization of insulin-like growth factor-II from human bone

Human bone was sequentially extracted with 4 M guanidine hydrochloride to remove nonmineralized tissue components, 0.5 M EDTA to dissolve the mineral phase, 4 M guanidine hydrochloride to remove matrix associated proteins and finally a combination of 4 M guanidine hydrochloride and 0.5 M EDTA to remove residual proteins. The extracts were examined for the presence of factors that were able to stimulate the incorporation of [3H] thymidine into DNA and [14C] leucine into protein in a cloned rat bone cell culture system. The majority of the bioactivity was found in the first guanidine hydrochloride extract (59 +/- 12%) while the second guandine hydrochloride extract contained 27 +/- 8%. In addition to several known growth factors already reported to be present in bone (transforming growth factor-beta and insulin-like growth factor-I) insulin-like growth factor-II was identified by its chromatographic, electrophoretic and immunological properties as well as by N-terminal sequence data. The insulin-like growth factor-II levels (802 +/- 112 micrograms/kg wet weight bone) were 10 fold higher than that found for insulin-like growth factor-I (84 +/- 23 micrograms/kg wet weight).

Growth-stimulating effects of somatomedin-/insulin-like peptides in Snell dwarf mice

The effect of the somatomedin-/insulin-like growth factors IGF-I, IGF-II and N2, as well as of semi-purified SM fractions separated by isoelectric focusing derived from human Cohn IV on different growth parameters, have been studied in the Snell dwarf mouse. HPLC-pure IGF-II, N2 and IGF-I stimulate to a similar extent the sulphate incorporation into costal cartilage, the osteochondral junction and epiphyseal cartilage. After 4 weeks of treatment, increase in body length and weight as well as the weights of several organs is obtained with SM fractions, focusing at acid and neutral pH, and containing mainly IGF-II- and less than 5% IGF-I-like peptides. Fractions containing mainly IGF-I-like peptides and focusing at basic pH at the dosage used seem to be less stimulatory on most of these parameters. The rump/tail ratio and weight/length ratio is comparable to that obtained after treatment with human growth hormone (hGH). hGH induced a significant stimulation of the weight of the liver, kidneys, heart, thymus and spleen. The acid and neutral SM fractions induced growth of the liver, kidneys and spleen. The basic fractions only produced a significant weight gain in kidneys and spleen. The skinfold thickness is stimulated by the SM preparations and only slightly by hGH.

Isolation and characterization of insulin-like growth factor I (somatomedin-C) from cultures of fetal rat calvariae

Cultured bones have been shown to secrete local regulators of bone remodeling, such as beta 2-microglobulin, transforming growth factor-beta, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF), but the IGF secreted has not been characterized. In the present study, IGF from medium conditioned by 21-day-old fetal rat calvariae was isolated and characterized. IGF was purified using dialysis, gel filtration, and reverse phase HPLC. Amino acid composition was compatible with that of IGF I (somatomedin-C), and amino-terminal sequence analysis revealed homology with IGF-I. The concentration of IGF-I in the calvarial culture medium was 1 nM and was suppressed by cycloheximide. Calvaria-derived rat IGF I at 20 nM stimulated DNA and collagen synthesis by 42% and 26%, respectively, in monolayer cultures of osteoblast-rich rat parietal bone cells. This study indicates that locally produced IGF-I regulates bone formation in cultures of 21-day-old fetal rat calvariae.

The polymorphic pattern of somatomedins during human development

Human somatomedins (Sm) are heterogeneous on separation by chromatofocussing. Besides the 'classic' insulin-like growth factor I and II (IGF-I/Sm-C and IGF-II), a number of minor peaks emerge which can be classified as IGF-I/Sm-C-like or as IGF-II-like. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether or not polymorphism of somatomedins is present in individuals and whether or not the polymorphic pattern changes during development. Serum extracts from normal healthy children and adults were fractionated by chromatofocussing and the various somatomedin-like peptides were quantitated by specific radioimmunoassays for IGF-I/Sm-C or IGF-II. The results demonstrate 1) that heterogeneity of somatomedins is a common phenomenon existing in all individuals studied, and 2) that the polymorphic patterns of the IGF-I/Sm-C-family and of the IGF-II-family remain rather stable during development, although minor changes are evident.

Purification and characterization of a unique high molecular weight form of insulin-like growth factor II

A form of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) with a mol wt of 15,000 has been purified to homogeneity from human Cohn fraction IV1-4. This protein has an amino-terminal sequence through the first 28 residues that is identical to 7.5K IGF-II. The amino acid composition of 15K IGF-II, however, indicates that its carboxyl-terminal region may be different from that predicted from the analysis of IGF-II cDNA clones. The affinities of 15K IGF-II for receptors on rat placental membranes and for an IGF-binding protein that was isolated from the medium of cultured buffalo rat liver cells were similar to those of the 7.5K form of the growth factor. A best-fit analysis of data from the binding of the two mol wt forms of IGF-II to receptors on rat placental membranes by the LIGAND program was consistent with a model in which 7.5K and 15K IGF-II bound to one site with Kd values of 0.27 +/- 0.03 and 0.38 +/- 0.04, respectively. There was an indication that 15K IGF-II also bound to a second low affinity site on the membrane. In mitogenesis assays performed on human fibroblasts isolated from the skin of two fetuses of an early gestational age, 15K IGF-II stimulated the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA at a half-maximal concentration, i.e. ED50, of 5.7 and 5.0 nM. In these experiments, the ED50 values for 7.5K IGF-II were 8.7 and 15 nM.

A method for the purification of bovine somatomedin C

The large scale purification of bovine somatomedin C has been achieved using a protocol that includes cross-flow ultrafiltration of fresh bovine plasma, treatment of the concentrated plasma with formic acid and ethanol, removal of the insoluble material by high speed centrifugation, cross-flow ultrafiltration of the formic acid and ethanol-soluble proteins, ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration and preparative isoelectric focusing. Thirty L of bovine plasma containing 2.16 kg protein were processed to yield approximately 170 micrograms of highly purified bovine somatomedin C. This represents an 840,000-fold purification of this peptide. The purified peptide has a molecular weight of 10,200 daltons, an isoelectric point of 8.5 and a specific activity of 11,750 Units/mg protein.

Characterization of insulin-like growth factor binding to human granulosa cells obtained during in vitro fertilization

Insulin and IGF-I affect in vitro ovarian stromal and follicular cell function in several species. We previously characterized insulin receptors on human granulosa cells obtained from in vitro fertilization procedures but were unable to demonstrate specific binding of IGF-I. Following modification of the assay conditions, we now report specific, high affinity IGF-1 binding sites on human granulosa cells. Substitution of equimolar concentrations of sucrose for sodium chloride in the buffer solution increased binding of IGF but not insulin in equilibrium assays. Maximal specific IGF-I binding was 2.69 +/- 0.30%/10(5) cells (SEM, n = 9) with half-maximal inhibition of binding at 2 ng/ml IGF-I. Unlabeled insulin recognized the type I IGF receptor with low affinity. An IGF-I receptor monoclonal antibody (alpha IR-3) inhibited 125I-IGF-I but not 125I-insulin binding. Affinity crosslinking followed by SDS/PAGE under reducing conditions revealed IGF-I binding at a molecular weight compatible with the alpha subunit of the type I IGF receptor and with a pattern of inhibition by various ligands that paralleled the equilibrium binding assays. IGF-I receptors are present on freshly isolated human ovarian granulosa cells obtained following pharmacologic stimulation with gonadotrophin according to the protocols of in vitro fertilization. The biologic function of these receptors currently is being investigated.

Partial characterization of a somatomedin-like peptide from the medium of cultured rat Sertoli cells

A peptide that is recognized by antibodies to human somatomedin-C/insulin-like growth factor I (Sm-C/IGF-I) has been partially purified from cultured Sertoli cells prepared from sexually immature rats. The mol wt of this peptide is about 25,000, as determined by gel filtration chromatography and immunoblot analysis of samples resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Isoelectric focusing indicated that the isoelectric point of this peptide was near neutrality. However, a smaller peptide of mol wt 8,000 that cross-reacted with antibodies to Sm-C/IGF-I, was released after gel filtration in acetic acid. Similarly, reverse phase HPLC on a C18 column under acidic conditions released a Sm-C/IGF-I immunoreactive peptide of 8,000 mol wt. This smaller species apparently resulted from the dissociation of this peptide from a binding protein. Unlike the larger neutral form, the isoelectric point of the smaller peptide was 9.8. This pI is similar to the GH-dependent Sm-C/IGF-I peptide isolated from rat serum. The small peptide, unlike the larger form, reacted in a parallel manner to human Sm-C/IGF-I in the Sm-C/IGF-I RIA and radioreceptor assays. In addition, the 8,000 mol wt peptide behaved as a progression factor in the BALB/c-3T3 assay and competed with [125I]Sm-C/IGF-I for binding to the type I Sm-C/IGF-I receptor from cultured rat Sertoli cells. In summary, results of this study demonstrate that rat Sertoli cells in culture secrete a peptide that is the rat equivalent of human Sm-C/IGF-I.

Purification and biologic properties of fibroblast somatomedin

Cultured human fibroblasts produce a peptide growth factor that cross-reacts with antisera to human somatomedin-C (Sm-C). To determine the identity of this species and compare its molecular properties to pure Sm-C, 2 liters of conditioned medium derived from human fibroblast monolayers were concentrated (X10) by ultrafiltration. The concentrated conditioned medium was purified further by CM-Sephadex ion-exchange chromatography. Following elution in 1.0 M NaCl, pH 8.0, the active material was purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G-150. The active fractions which eluted at Kd 0.45 (Mr estimated at 32,000) were further purified by isoelectric focusing. Two peaks of activity electrofocused at pI 5.4 and 7.2, respectively. The pI 5.4 peak contained only binding protein activity. The active fractions from the neutral pool were further purified by reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography on a C-18 Bondapak with a linear gradient of acetonitrile (10-60%). The active single peak which eluted at 55% acetonitrile gave a single band when analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This material stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into human fibroblast DNA with approximately 3.2 times the potency of pure Sm-C but was equipotent in stimulating BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts. It was degraded by fibroblast cultures at a slower rate compared to Sm-C, although it had a similar affinity for Sm-C-binding protein. We conclude that human fibroblasts produce two peptides that react with anti-Sm-C antibody but are chemically distinct from Sm-C. The greater response to fibroblast somatomedin may be due to its affinity for somatomedin-binding protein and slower degradation. These findings may have implications for understanding the regulation of human fibroblast replication.

Partial purification and characterization of a neutral insulin-like growth factor. Biochemical and biological properties

A peptide with an isoelectric point of 6.5-7.0 was purified from Cohn fraction IV on the basis of its capacity to cross react with labelled insulin to human placental cell membrane receptors. It possesses insulin-like activity in the adipocyte bioassay (30 mU insulin equivalent/mg of protein) which is in the same order as its activity in the insulin radioreceptorassay (25.5 mU/mg). Somatomedin bioactivity is 40 U/mg in the porcine cartilage assay. In contrast, although in quiescent human fibroblast this peptide preparation has 6% of the mitogenic potency of somatomedin-C/insulin-like growth factor I on a weight basis, cross-reactivity in radioimmunoassay for somatomedin-C/insulin-like growth factor I, insulin-like growth factor II and insulin are very low. It is concluded that this peptide, although exhibiting the major biological characteristics of an insulin-like growth factor is different from the hitherto described somatomedins.

Somatomedin C/insulin-like growth factor I: simplified purification procedure and biological activities of the purified growth factor

Human somatomedin C has been purified from Cohn fraction IV paste by a simplified procedure using chromatofocusing, hydroxylapatite chromatography and reverse-phase high performance chromatography. The purified material has a specific activity by somatomedin C radioimmunoassay of 9160 units/mg (1 unit is defined as the amount of somatomedin present in 1 ml normal adult male human serum), representing a 650,000-fold purification, and possesses sulphation, mitogenic and insulin-like activities (specific activities of 3388 units/mg, 832 units insulin equivalents/mg and 1122 units/mg respectively). Somatomedin C is shown to be a potent stimulator of DNA synthesis (50% maximum stimulation at 150 fmol/ml) in isolated chondrocytes derived from costal cartilage, a major physiological target tissue.

Characterization of somatomedins from human fetal brain: identification of a variant form of insulin-like growth factor I

A fetal form of somatomedin (insulin-like growth factor) that crossreacts in the fetal brain radioreceptor assay has been proposed to exist in humans. Using this assay to monitor activity during purification, we have isolated a variant form of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) from human fetal brain tissue. The variant IGF-I showed potent crossreaction in the fetal brain radioreceptor assay and stimulated DNA synthesis in fetal brain cells in vitro. Structural analysis revealed the variant IGF-I to have a truncated NH2-terminal region compared to IGF-I isolated from serum. An additional peptide, which displayed less potent crossreaction in the fetal brain radioreceptor assay, was also isolated from the human fetal brain. Partial amino acid sequence analysis revealed identity to insulin-like growth factor II.

Isolation and characterization of variant IGF-1 as well as IGF-2 from adult human brain

The forms of somatomedin present in the adult human brain have been characterized in this study. Two peptides were purified by acidification, size exclusion chromatography, affinity chromatography, FPLC and HPLC. Structural analysis identified these peptides as the variant form of IGF-1 with a truncated N-terminal region earlier isolated from human fetal brain and IGF-2. The presence of the truncated IGF-1 variant and IGF-2 in the human CNS suggests their role as neuropeptides.

Affinity chromatography with amniotic fluid somatomedin binding protein in the purification of insulin-like growth factor I

A simplified procedure has been developed for the isolation of insulin-like growth factor I from human plasma by use of affinity chromatography with the somatomedin binding protein. After acidification of human plasma and separation of insulin-like growth factor I and endogenous binding protein by cation exchange chromatography on SP-Sephadex the material was passed through a column packed with pure human amniotic fluid binding protein covalently coupled to Sepharose. The bound insulin-like growth factors I and II were eluted by 1M acetic acid and separated on a Mono S cation exchange column by use of a salt gradient. The 30 micrograms insulin-like growth factor I and 18 micrograms insulin-like growth factor II recovered from 1 liter plasma gave an overall recovery of 30% for insulin-like growth factor I but only 2.5% for insulin-like growth factor II.

Modulation of in vitro growth of murine myeloid leukemia by an autologous substance immunochemically cross-reactive with insulin and antiinsulin serum

Murine myeloid leukemia secretes a substance immunochemically cross-reactive with insulin (SICRI) both in vivo and in serum-free media. High SICRI concentrations in peripheral blood of tumorous animals do not affect circulating glucose levels. In culture, DNA synthesis rate per leukemic cell is proportional to cell density and is reduced by antiinsulin serum. Culture medium conditioned by leukemia cells as well as SICRI affinity purified from this medium stimulate DNA synthesis in cultured leukemia cells. It appears that autocrine stimulation of murine myeloid leukemia can be mediated in part by an insulin-related growth factor.

Isolation and partial characterization of six somatomedin-like peptides from human plasma Cohn fraction IV

Six somatomedin-like peptides were purified from human plasma Cohn fraction IV by a six-step procedure which included ethanol precipitation, reversed-phase extraction, gel filtration, chromatofocusing and reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Purification was monitored with a competitive protein binding assay using a crude preparations of somatomedin carrier protein. The peptides isolated were homogeneous by reversed-phase HPLC and sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Their apparent isoelectric points determined by chromatofocusing were 9.2 (Sm I), (Sm II), 8.2 (Sm III), 6.7 (Sm IV), 6.3 (Sm V), and 6.15 (Sm VI). SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions revealed that they are composed of a single peptide chain with apparent molecular weights of 6800 for Sm I, II and IV and 6400 for Sm III, V, and VI. They were equally potent in the porcine costal cartilage in vitro bioassay. The basic peptides (Sm I-III) were significantly more active in radioimmunoassays for somatomedin C (SmC) and insulin-like growth factor I C-peptide (IGF-I (30 - 41], while only the slightly acidic peptides were active in a radioimmunoassay for insulin-like growth factor II C-peptide (IGF-II (33-40]. When receptor binding was tested with human placental cell membranes and Sm III as tracer, the basic peptides were significantly more potent than Sm IV-VI. With rat liver cell membranes and Sm V as tracer the slightly acidic peptides were more potent. These findings suggest 1) that human plasma may contain other somatomedin-like peptides besides the major components IGF-I/SmC and IGF-II, and 2) that the basic peptides are structurally related to IGF-I/SmC and the slightly acidic peptides are related to IGF-II.

Identification of a peptide fragment from the carboxyl-terminal extension region (E-domain) of rat proinsulin-like growth factor-II

A fragment of the carboxyl-terminal extension region (E-peptide) of rat proinsulin-like growth factor-II has been purified from medium conditioned by cultured BRL-3A rat liver cells. The fragment, identified by microsequence analysis, was discovered in a biologically active fraction of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II). The fragment begins at position 117 in pro-IGF-II, two amino acids downstream from an Arg-Arg potential prohormone processing site. A synthetic analogue of the E-peptide at high concentrations stimulates [3H]thymidine incorporation in NIL8 hamster cells, raising the possibility that the E-peptide might bind with low affinity to a mitogen receptor. Peptides from the E-regions of pro-IGF-I and pro-IGF-II should be useful for development of radioimmunoassays for measurement of the somatic production of IGF-I and IGF-II, analogous to the radioimmunoassay for the insulin C-peptide.

The nature and regulation of the receptors for insulin-like growth factors

Two subtypes of IGF receptors have been identified. Type I IGF receptors have a Mr greater than 300,000 and are composed of disulfide-linked 130,000-dalton (alpha) and approximately 90,000-dalton (beta) subunits. The alpha subunit binds hormone; the beta subunit appears to have intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity and to be autophosphorylated. Type I receptors preferentially bind IGF-I but also bind IGF-II and, more weakly, insulin. Type II IGF receptors consist of a 250,000-dalton protein that contains internal disulfide bonds but is not linked to other membrane components. Type II receptors bind IGF-II with higher affinity than IGF-I. They do not interact with even very high concentrations of insulin. Type I IGF receptors and insulin receptors are homologous structures. They have similar subunit structure. Both receptors bind IGFs and insulin. They have similar (but not identical) antigenic determinants. Both receptors are downregulated by IGFs and insulin. Both receptors are affected in certain patients with genetically determined insulin resistance. Type II IGF receptors do not appear to be homologous to type I receptors. They differ in structure, peptide binding specificity, and antigenic determinants. Type II receptors do not appear to be downregulated. Although type II receptors appear to be phosphorylated in intact cells, they do not possess intrinsic tyrosine protein-kinase activity. Insulin acutely upregulates type II IGF receptors in intact rat adipose cells by effecting a redistribution of receptors cycling between a large intracellular pool and the plasma membrane. Insulin and the IGFs elicit the same biological responses, either by cross-reacting with one of the receptors for the heterologous ligand or by concurrent activation of convergent effector pathways by binding to the homologous receptor. Which mechanism is utilized appears to depend more on the tissue than on the biological response. Insulin desensitizes rat hepatoma cells to the actions of insulin and IGFs, mediated by both insulin and IGF receptors, by mechanisms distal to hormone binding and possibly common to IGF and insulin effector pathways.

Neonatal rat islet cell cultures synthesize insulin-like growth factor I

Monolayer cultures of islet B-cells were established from neonatal rat pancreas. Serum-free media conditioned by these cultures for 72 h were concentrated and fractionated on Sephadex G-50 at acid pH into a high-molecular-weight pool containing binding protein for insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and a low-molecular-weight pool containing IGFs. IGF activity in the IGF pool was demonstrated by a specific radioreceptor assay using rat liver plasma membranes and 125I-labeled rat IGF-II. The IGF in islet cell media was characterized further by radioimmunoassays specific for human IGF-I and for rat IGF-II. Islet cell IGF was identified as predominantly IGF-I or a closely related species and not IGF-II. Levels of approximately 15-50 ng IGF-I (based on human IGF-I standard)/10(6) islet cells accumulated in media after 72 h, and presumably represented synthesis by the islet cells. Concentrations of IGF-I attained in culture media, approximately 0.1 ng/ml, were sufficient to stimulate [3H]thymidine incorporation into B-cells. Growth hormone did not consistently increase IGF-I synthesis, suggesting that the previously described effects of growth hormone on islet cell replication do not result from stimulation of IGF-I synthesis by islet cells. Thus, although the IGF-I synthesized by islet cells may be a physiologically relevant growth factor for these cells, the mitogenic effects of growth hormone in islet cells appear to be independent and not mediated by IGF-I.