Primary Acid-Labile Subunit Deficiency due to RecessiveIGFALSMutations Results in Postnatal Growth Deficit Associated with Low Circulating Insulin Growth Factor (IGF)-I, IGF Binding Protein-3 Levels, and Hyperinsulinemia

During the transition from pregnancy to lactation, dairy cows experience a 70% reduction in plasma IGF-I. This reduction has been attributed to decreased hepatic IGF-I production. IGF-I circulates predominantly in multi-protein complexes consisting of one molecule each of IGF-I, IGF binding protein-3 and the acid labile subunit (ALS). Recent studies in the mouse have shown that absence of ALS results in accelerated turnover and severely depressed concentration of plasma IGF-I. These observations suggest that reduced plasma ALS could be a second factor contributing to the fall of plasma IGF-I in peri-parturient cows. This possibility has not been studied due to the lack of bovine ALS reagents. To address this, we isolated the bovine ALS cDNA and used its sequence to develop a ribonuclease protection assay (RPA) and a bovine ALS antiserum. Using the RPA, ALS mRNA abundance was approximately fivefold higher in liver than in lung, small intestine, adipose tissue, kidney and heart, but was absent in muscle and brain. The antiserum detected the highest ALS levels in plasma followed by ovarian follicular fluid, lymph and colostrum. A portion of colostrum and follicular fluid ALS appears to be synthesized locally as ALS mRNA was found in mammary epithelial cells and ovarian follicular cells. Finally, we measured plasma ALS in dairy cows during the peri-parturient period (days −35 and +56 relative to parturition on day 0). Plasma ALS dropped by 50% between late pregnancy and the first day of lactation and returned to prepartum levels by day +56. To determine whether this reflected a change in hepatic expression, ALS mRNA was measured in liver biopsies collected on days −35, +3 and +56. ALS mRNA expression was significantly lower on day +3 than on day −35, but recovered completely by day +56. Finally, we examined the ability of GH to increase plasma ALS abundance at selected times before and after parturition (weeks −5, −2, +1 and +5). GH increased plasma ALS at weeks −5, −2 and +5, but not at week +1. Identical effects of GH were seen when the response considered was plasma IGF-I. We conclude that the decline in plasma ALS after parturition is a consequence of hepatic GH resistance and contributes to the associated reduction of plasma IGF-I.

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Increased Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF)-II and IGF/IGF-Binding Protein Ratio in Prepubertal Constitutionally Tall Children

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism ◽

10.1210/jc.2002-020614 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 87 (12) ◽

pp. 5455-5460 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

S. Garrone ◽

G. Radetti ◽

M. Sidoti ◽

M. Bozzola ◽

F. Minuto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Velocity ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Molar Ratio ◽

Igf System ◽

Igf I ◽

Igf Binding ◽

Acid Labile Subunit ◽

Igf Binding Protein ◽

Acid Labile ◽

Igfbp 3

Abstract The height of subjects with constitutionally tall stature (CTS) is at least 2 sd above the mean of subjects of the same age and sex. Apart from a few discordant data on the role of GH and its direct mediator, IGF-I, no studies have been conducted on other components of the IGF system, which also condition the bioavailability and activity of IGF-I. We, therefore, investigated the possibility that other components of the IGF system might play a role in determining the increased growth velocity seen in CTS. To this end, we evaluated the behavior not only of IGF-I but also of IGF-II, IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-3, and acid-labile subunit, the subunits that constitute the main IGF complex in circulation (150-kDa complex), as well as of IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2, which are negatively regulated by GH and, like IGFBP-3, able to influence the bioavailability of the IGFs. The study was performed on 22 prepubertal subjects affected by CTS (16 males and 6 females), aged 2.8–13.3 yr (6.8 ± 0.5 yr, mean ± sem). Thirty-seven normal prepubertal subjects (16 males and 21 females) aged between 2.2 and 13.3 yr (6.7 ± 0.5 yr), who were comparable in socioeconomic and nutritional terms, served as controls. From the auxological point of view, subjects with CTS differed significantly from controls only in terms of growth velocity (HV-sd score; CTS, 1.8 ± 0.3; controls, 0.4 ± 0.2; P < 0.0001) and height (H-sd score; CTS, 3.1 ± 0.1; controls, 0.4 ± 0.2; P < 0.0001). The results demonstrated that the concentrations of IGF-I (27.3 ± 2.0 nmol/liter), IGFBP-3 (66.9 ± 3.8), and acid-labile subunit (216.8 ± 13.6) in CTS-affected subjects were not significantly different from those determined in controls (25.0 ± 2.9, 74.4 ± 4.1, and 241.0 ± 11.9, respectively). By contrast, IGF-II levels proved significantly higher in CTS subjects (IGF-II: 87.2 ± 3.4 vs. 52.4 ± 2.3, P < 0.0001). Chromatographic analysis, performed after acid treatment of pooled sera, showed only the presence of normal 7.5-kDa IGF-II in both CTS subjects and controls. In comparison with controls, CTS children showed a lower concentration of IGFBP-1 (1.6 ± 0.3 vs. 4.1 ± 0.7, P = 0.03) and a higher concentration of IGFBP-2 (14.3 ± 1.8 vs. 9.6 ± 1.1, P = 0.03). The IGFs (IGF-I and -II)/IGFBPs (−1 + −2 + −3) molar ratio was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in CTS children than in controls. In particular, the IGF-II/IGFBP ratio (P < 0.0001) was responsible for the excess of the IGF peptide in relation to the concentrations of IGFBPs and, therefore, for the increase in the potentially bioactive free form of the IGFs. Moreover, the IGFBP-3/IGF molar ratio was significantly reduced, being less than 1 in CTS subjects (0.6 ± 0.1 vs. 1.1 ± 0.1), so that a quantity of IGF peptides lack sufficient IGFBP-3 to form the 150-kDa complex with which are normally sequestered in the vascular compartment. The data show that in CTS: 1) the most GH-dependent components of the IGF system are normal, consistent with the finding of a normal GH secretory state; 2) the less GH-dependent IGF-II is significantly increased, in agreement with the finding of a relationship between high levels of IGF-II and overgrowth in some syndromes; and 3) the IGF/IGFBP molar ratio is increased, and, therefore, a greater availability of free IGF for target tissues may be responsible for overgrowth in CTS.

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