We previously identified in fetal rat serum a component capable of specifically binding radiolabeled insulinlike growth factor type II (IGF-II) that is considerably larger than both the fetal (40 kDa) and the adult (150 kDa (19-days gestation) and in sera from 3-, 10-, and 20-day-old rats, the concentrations of receptor protein were similar (1-5 gug/ml). The level of the type II IGF receptor in serum declined dramatically between age 20 and 40 days, but the receptor was still measurable at age 12 mo. We conclude that the type H IGF receptor is present in rat serum and is developmentally regulated.The insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II), which show extensive amino acid sequence homology with insulin (1), are mitogens for cells in culture, frequently acting in concert with other growth factors (2). IGF-I mediates the anabolic action of pituitary growth hormone in vivo (3). The in vivo role for IGF-II is less clear, but the observation that IGF-II concentration is high in fetal rat serum, with a decline postnatally, has led to the proposal that IGF-II may be important for fetal growth in the rat (4, 5).IGF-I and IGF-II bind to high-affinity receptors present on many cells and tissues (6)

We have used the rat C6 glial cell line as a model system to study the role of insulin-like growth factors (IGF) in neuroglial cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Northern blot analysis of C6 RNA demonstrated the presence of IGF-I mRNA and undetectable IGF-II mRNA. IGF-I and IGF-binding protein(s), but not IGF-II, were detected in C6 glial cell-conditioned medium. The level of IGF-I was 1-4 ng/ml in conditioned medium based on a human IGF-I standard. The immunoreactive IGF-I inhibited [125I]IGF-I binding to the IGF-I receptor on chick embryo fibroblasts and stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into chick embryo fibroblast DNA. Competitive binding and affinity cross-linking experiments using [125]IGF-I and [125I]IGF-II demonstrated the presence of IGF-I receptors (type I) and IGF-II/mannose 6-phosphate receptors (type II) on C6 glial cell membranes. An immunoglobulin (no. 3637) directed against the rat IGF-II receptor blocked the degradation of [125I]IGF-II added to C6 glial cells, presumably by blocking receptor-mediated internalization. We were unable to demonstrate an autocrine role for IGF in the C6 glial cell line, since [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA was stimulated equally well by IGF-I-deficient rat serum and normal serum, and added IGF did not stimulate [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA when tested alone or when added to IGF-I-deficient serum. We propose that neuroglial cell-derived IGF-I may serve as a paracrine growth stimulus in the central nervous system.

Multiplication-stimulating activity, a family of insulin-like growth factors previously identified in medium conditioned by the BRL-3A rat liver cell line, is also synthesized by third passage cultures of rat embryo fibroblasts (REFs) maintained in serum-free medium. Conditioned serum-free medium from REFs was chromatographed on Sephadex G-75 in 1 m acetic acid, and fractions in the size range of BRL-MSA contained MSA immunoreactivity. A dose-response curve of pooled G-75 fractions was parallel to BRL-MSA standard, and levels in the REF-conditioned medium were 0.5-1 microgram/ml. REF-MSA from the Sephadex G-75 pool was equipotent to BRL-MSA in stimulating [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA in chick embryo fibroblasts and in stimulating DNA synthesis in REFs, as measured by autoradiography. In receptor binding assays using REFs, chick embryo fibroblasts, Swarm rat chondrosarcoma cells, and rat liver membranes, REF MSA was equal to BRL MSA in competition for binding of [125I]iodo-MSA. REF MSA also behaved identically to BRL MSA in a competitive binding protein assay using binding proteins in rat serum. Further characterization of REF MSA using Bio-Gel P-10 chromatography, followed by high pressure liquid chromatography or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicated that immunoreactive polypeptides in the fibroblast medium corresponded to BRL MSA II (mol wt, 8700) and BRL MSA III (mol wt, 7100). The amount of REF MSA released into the medium increased linearly over time. Cycloheximide decreased the amount of MSA in the medium, and during a recovery period, the amount of MSA returned nearly to control levels. In summary, rat embryo fibroblasts synthesize MSA which is biologically, immunologically, and chemically identical to MSA produced by the BRL-3A rat liver cell line.