Ja. Koedam et al., Differential regulation of IGF-binding proteins in rabbit costal chondrocytes by IGF-I and dexamethasone, J ENDOCR, 165(3), 2000, pp. 557-567
Cartilage is a primary target tissue for the IGFs. The mitogenic activity o
f these peptides is regulated by a family of high-affinity IGF-binding prot
eins (IGFBP-1 to -6). We characterized the IGFBPs produced by cultured chon
drocytes derived from rib cartilage of prepubertal rabbits. Culture medium,
which had been conditioned by these cells for 48 h showed bands of 22 kDa,
24 kDa and a 31/32 kDa doublet by Western ligand blotting with [I-125]IGF-
II. When the cells were grown in the presence of increasing amounts of IGF-
I or IGF-II, the 31/32 kDa doublet increased in intensity (reaching a plate
au of about 11-fold stimulation between 2 and 10 nM IGF-I). The 22 kDa and
24 kDa bands increased only slightly while a 26 kDa band became faintly vis
ible. By Western immunoblotting the 31/32 kDa doublet was identified as IGF
BP-5. An IGF-I analog with reduced affinity for IGFBPs, Long-R3 IGF-I, also
induced IGFBP-5, while insulin was less effective (22-fold stimulation at
10 nM). IGF-I protected IGFBP-5 against proteolytic degradation by conditio
ned medium. IGF-I also enhanced the level of IGFBP-5 mRNA. LY294002, a spec
ific inhibitor of the intracellular signaling molecule phosphatidylinositol
3-kinase, inhibited stimulation of IGFBP-5 by IGF-I.
Dexamethasone suppressed IGFBP-5 (dy 70% at 20 nM) but, at the same time, a
39/41 kDa doublet (presumably IGFBP-3) was induced. IGFBP-5 has been shown
in several cell types to enhance the mitogenic activity of IGF-I. IGFBP-3
generally acts as a growth inhibitor. Therefore, the differential effects o
f dexamethasone on these regulatory proteins could account, at least in par
t, for the growth-arresting effect of this glucocorticoid.