Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-6 produced by human PC-3 prostate cancer cells: isolation, characterization and its biological action.

The PC-3 human prostatic carcinoma cell line has been extensively used as a model for studies on the regulation of prostate tumor cell proliferation. Because of the importance of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) in the control of IGF activities that regulate cell proliferation in normal and malignant cell types, we undertook studies to characterize the IGFBPs produced by PC-3 prostate tumor cells in culture. We previously found, using an IGF-I affinity column for purification and a polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation assay for IGFBP detection, that PC-3 cells in culture produced a single predominant IGFBP, IGFBP-4, which inhibits IGF activities. We now present evidence that PC-3 cells also produce IGFBP-6 in abundant quantity; in the previous study this was apparently not detected in the IGF-I-bound fraction with the PEG precipitation and Western ligand blot assays. In the current study, IGF-II affinity purification of IGFBPs produced by PC-3 cells, followed by C8 HPLC reverse-phase chromatography using a shallow acetonitrile gradient, produced two major protein peaks. N-terminal amino acid sequence of peak 1 was identical to that of IGFBP-6 while that of peak 2 was identical to that of IGFBP-4. Characterization of purified IGFBP-6 from PC-3 cells revealed properties which are distinct from other IGFBPs. PEG did not precipitate the complex of 125I-IGF-II/IGFBP-6 while it precipitated the complexes between 125I-IGF-II and other IGFBPs. Indeed, IGFBP-6 decreased the amount of 125I-IGF-II tracer in the PEG precipitate in a dose-dependent manner. Also, the binding of IGFBP-6 with 125I-IGF-II was poor in Western ligand blots compared with other IGFBPs. In studies on IGFBP-6 actions, IGFBP-6 completely inhibited IGF-II-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation in MC3T3-E1 mouse osteoblast cells while it had only minimal inhibitory effects on IGF-I-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation. This differential effect is associated with the fact that IGFBP-6 has greater affinity for IGF-II than IGF-I. The results of this study indicated that (1) Western ligand blotting is not sensitive for identification of IGFBP-6, (2) the unique behavior of IGFBP-6 in the PEG assay system necessitates the use of charcoal adsorption procedure for IGFBP-6 activity detection and (3) PC-3 cells should provide a useful model system for studying regulation of IGFBP-6 expression and the role of IGFBP-6 in modulating IGF actions.

Expression of insulin-like growth factors during bone induction in rat.

Bone formation was studied after intramuscular implantation of demineralized bone matrix. Ash weight determinations were used to verify the bone-forming ability of implants, and confirmed that no bone was formed when nonactive implants (stripped of their bone-forming ability) were used. A solution hybridization/RNase protection assay was used for the detection of specific mRNA transcripts in the implants and surrounding tissue. Analysis of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) mRNA showed a transient increase peaking on day 3 following implantation. Radioimmunoassay (RIA) for IGF-I-like immunoreactivity indicated a corresponding increase of IGF-I peptide in extracts from the implants at that time point. IGF-II mRNA and alkaline phosphatase mRNA reached highest levels around day 11 following implantation. Bone formation in old rats, 50 weeks of age, was associated with lower IGF-I mRNA levels 3 days after implantation compared with young animals. IGF-II mRNA levels were also affected and tended to be higher 12 days after implantation compared with young animals. These results indicate that IGFs could be paracrine or autocrine factors in the bone-forming process. During this process, IGF-I mRNA is expressed at an early stage, in correlation with the recruitment and proliferation of surrounding mesenchymal cells, whereas IGF-II mRNA is activated significantly later, correlating to the beginning of the actual calcifying process during endochondral bone formation.

Activation of insulin-like growth factor II expression during skeletal muscle regeneration in the rat: correlation with myotube formation.

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are important stimulators of proliferation and differentiation of cultured myoblasts. It has previously been shown that IGF-I is induced during muscle regeneration in rodents, however, little is known about the expression of IGF-II. Therefore, two in vivo models were used to analyze IGF-II mRNA expression during skeletal muscle regeneration in the rat: injection of the snake venom notexin and induction of ischemia. During the regeneration process the levels of both IGF-I and IGF-II mRNA were transiently induced, as analyzed by solution hybridization. Both IGF-I-like immunoreactivity and IGF-II-like immunoreactivity were found to be present during muscle regeneration. In a time course study, induction of IGF-II was preceded by IGF-I, both at the mRNA and protein levels. Using alpha- and beta-actin as markers for different stages of skeletal muscle differentiation, together with the immunohistochemistry data, it is concluded that the expression of IGF-I and IGF-II occurs at different differentiation stages, and that IGF-II appears concomitant to the formation of myotubes. These results suggest that each IGF has a distinct role during the differentiation of muscle cells.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor I messenger ribonucleic acid in regenerating bone after fracture: influence of indomethacin.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was studied during time in the callus formed after tibial fracture in rats. Levels of IGF-I mRNA in callus peaked on the day 8 postfracture, showing a 10- to 15-fold induction compared to control bone. Levels of IGF-I mRNA tended also to be increased in the fracture-adjacent musculus tibialis anterior. IGF-I immunoreactivity was found in cartilaginous cells, osteoblasts, and myocytes 6 and 8 days after fracture. No obvious differences were found between hypophysectomized animals and control animals with regard to IGF-I immunoreactivity. Administration of the antiinflammatory drug indomethacin decreased the IGF-I mRNA expression in the tibial fracture model. Previous findings have shown that IGF-I is activated during in vivo muscle regeneration, and also in this model indomethacin administration reduces the expression of IGF-I. The finding that indomethacin administration reduces IGF-I expression could indicate that an inflammatory response may be important for activation of IGF-I during tissue regeneration.

Induction of insulin-like growth factor I messenger ribonucleic acid during regeneration of rat skeletal muscle.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was studied in regenerating skeletal muscle. Irreversible damage to muscle cells was induced in the extensor digitorum longus muscle of adult rats by ischemia, preceded by glycogen depletion. IGF-I mRNA levels during the regeneration process were studied for periods up to 10 days after injury using a solution hybridization assay. Increased IGF-I mRNA levels could be demonstrated within 24 h after injury; maximum levels were achieved in 3 days and decreased to approximately normal levels by 10 days. Changes in IGF-I mRNA levels could not be seen in undamaged contralateral extensor digitorum longus muscles during the experimental period. An increase in IGF-I mRNA was also evident in injured muscles of hypophysectomized animals. In situ hybridization at the time of maximum induction showed the presence of IGF-I mRNA in proliferating myoblasts and in satellite cells. IGF-I, thus, may act as a locally produced non-GH dependent trophic factor during regeneration of skeletal muscle after injury.

Somatomedin C in the pancreas of young and adult, normal and obese, hyperinsulinemic mice.

Immunocytochemical, immunochemical and RNA-hybridization techniques were used to map the distribution of somatomedin C (Sm-C; insulin-like growth factor I; IGF-I) in the pancreas of young and adult lean and obese mice. The D cells in the islets of Langerhans showed intense cytoplasmic Sm-C immunoreactivity, extending into their processes. Only slight Sm-C immunoreactivity was seen in A and B cells, apparently confined to the plasma membranes. In the exocrine pancreas scattered duct cells were immunopositive. Starvation increased, while feeding decreased the Sm-C immunoreactivity in B cells. RNA-hybridization analyses revealed that roughly the same number of Sm-C mRNA molecules, as calculated per DNA amount in the pancreas, could be demonstrated in young and adult, lean and obese mice. Radioimmunoassay (RIA) determinations of total Sm-C showed that there were about equal concentrations in the pancreas of lean and obese mice. There were marked differences between the liver and the pancreas, in that the RIA Sm-C values for the former were twice those in the latter while, in contrast, the corresponding values for the Sm-C mRNA, i.e. the agent determining the synthesis of Sm-C, were about 100 times higher in the liver as compared to that in the pancreas. We interpret our results as follows: The D cells in the islets form and secrete Sm-C in both young and adult, lean and obese mice, while A and B cells bind, but do not necessarily synthesize this peptide.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Human calpactin II (lipocortin I) messenger ribonucleic acid is not induced by glucocorticoids.

Studies were carried out to examine the effect of glucocorticoids on human calpactin II (lipocortin I) mRNA expression. A cRNA probe for human calpactin II (hCPII) was used in a solution hybridization assay to study the effect of dexamethasone on hCPII mRNA levels in human skin fibroblasts, peripheral lymphocytes, pulmonary alveolar macrophages, and HeLa S3 cells. As a positive control, human metallothionein II (hMTII) mRNA levels were measured since hMTII is known to be regulated by glucocorticoids and heavy metals, both of which induce transcriptional activity of the gene. Dexamethasone treatment of these human cell types caused a dose-dependent increase in hMTII mRNA levels, whereas no effect on hCPII mRNA levels was observed. These findings were confirmed in time course studies, where 10(-6) M dexamethasone treatment caused a maximal 2- to 5-fold increase in hMTII mRNA levels after 6-8 h of treatment but no increase in hCPII mRNA levels was observed at any time point up to 24 h. A human glucocorticoid sensitive lymphoid cell line, CEM C7, and a glucocorticoid resistant mutant, ICR-27, isolated from CEM C7, were included in order to confirm the requirement of a functional glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the induction of glucocorticoid-regulated genes. Dexamethasone (10(-6) M) induced hMTII but not hCPII mRNA in CEM C7 cells, whereas neither hMTII nor hCPII mRNA was induced in ICR-27 cells. In conclusion, our data suggest that glucocorticoids do not induce calpactin II (lipocortin I) mRNA in the human cell types studied.

Insulin-like growth factor I in the pancreas of normal and diabetic adult rats.

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I, somatomedin C) was mapped by immunocytochemistry in the pancreas of normal and experimentally influenced rats. The polyclonal IGF-I antiserum K 37 was characterized and demonstrated to be specific. In the exocrine pancreas some duct cells showed IGF-I immunoreactivity, other components being negative. The three main endocrine cell types in the islets of Langerhans were IGF-I immunoreactive, most strikingly the D cells. Hypophysectomy resulted in loss of IGF-I immunoreactivity in all three endocrine cell types, i.e. D, A and B cells, while the levels of somatostatin, glucagon and insulin, respectively, remained unchanged. Starvation seemed to increase and feeding to decrease the IGF-I immunoreactivity in the B cells. Cysteamine pre-treatment reduced the normally intense IGF-I and somatostatin immunoreactivities in the D cells. In rats made diabetic with alloxan or streptozotocin, the B cells were irreversibly damaged and lost both their insulin and IGF-I immunoreactivities, while the IGF-I immunoreactivity was increased in A cells; the D cells remained unchanged. The concentrations of IGF-I mRNA in the pancreas were almost equal in normal and alloxan diabetic rats as were the concentrations of extractable IGF-I. We conclude that IGF-I immunoreactive material can be demonstrated in adult animals in all endocrine islet cells, most prominently in the D cells. The expression of IGF-I immunoreactivity is in part under pituitary control. In the adult rat only one islet cell type synthesizes IGF-I immunoreactive material, i.e. the D cells, while, in contrast, the B cells are likely to be a major IGF-I source in fetal and neonatal islets.

Differing expression of insulin-like growth factor I in the developing and in the adult rat cerebellum.

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I; somatomedin C) is a trophic peptide of importance for the development of several tissues and organs. In the present study we have mapped the cellular distribution and dynamic changes of IGF-I immunoreactivity in the rat cerebellum from its postnatal development to maturity. In vitro hybridization of IGF-I mRNA was used to demonstrate that the IGF-I immunoreactive material was synthesized in the cerebellum during a limited time period of cerebellar differentiation. IGF-I immunoreactivity was absent in primordial nerve cells but was present in neuroglial cells during the first two days after birth and then rapidly increased in intensity in the latter during the next few days. Proliferative nerve cells in the external granular layer did not express IGF-I immunoreactivity, while migrating and differentiating nerve cells as well as neuroglial cells showed intense labelling. Starting about 2 weeks postnatally, the IGF-I immunoreactivity declined, first in the neuroglial cells and eventually in the nerve cells. No IGF-I immunoreactivity could be demonstrated in the normal adult cerebellum. Colchicine pretreatment did, however, enable demonstration of IGF-I immunoreactivity in adult cerebellar nerve cells but not in neuroglial cells. In vitro hybridization revealed IGF-I mRNA in the developing cerebellum but only at very low levels in the adult cerebellum. It is concluded that IGF-I is likely to be a factor of importance for the development and maturation of nerve cells and neuroglial cells in the brain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)