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Background/aim: Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) generation tests are both sensitive and specific measures of growth hormone (GH) sensitivity. Recently, the question of reproducibility of IGF generation tests has been raised. We report our analysis of the correlation of low- and high-dose GH IGF-I and IGFBP-3 generation tests among patients with GH deficiency, GH insensitivity, and idiopathic short stature., Methods: A total of 198 subjects were randomized to either high- or low-dose GH for 7 days; the alternate dose was received after a 2-week washout period. Samples were collected at baseline and on days 5 and 8 of GH administration., Results: The serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 correlated significantly from one test to the other, regardless of the diagnosis. In normal subjects and patients with GH insensitivity and GH deficiency, the delta over baseline in IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in the low-dose test was highly predictive of the delta values in the high-dose test. The delta correlation was greatly diminished, however, in the patient population having idiopathic short stature., Conclusions: These observations support partial GH insensitivity effecting IGF-I generation specifically, as a possible etiology for idiopathic short stature, and thus such patients may warrant appropriate biochemical and/or molecular evaluation for partial GH insensitivity., (Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel)

A total of 198 subjects were randomized to either high-dose (0.05 mg/kg.d) or low-dose (0.025 mg/kg.d) GH for 7 d; the alternate dose was then received after a 2-wk washout period. Groups included in the study were: normal, GH-insensitive (GHI; homozygous for the E180 splice mutation); heterozygous GHI (carriers of the E180 splice mutation); GH-deficient; and idiopathic short stature. Serum IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) concentrations (collected on d 1, 5, and 8 of treatment weeks) were GH-dependent, with significant elevation by d 5 of treatment, regardless of dose, in all normal subjects. GHI subjects had low baseline IGFBP-3 and poor or no response to either low- or high-dose GH. Heterozygous subjects, however, did not differ from age-matched normals with regard to IGFBP-3 generation. All GH-deficient subjects had subnormal baseline concentrations of IGFBP-3; most, but not all, were able to generate levels into normal ranges by 8 d of therapy. Children with idiopathic short stature showed a better response in IGFBP-3 generation compared with that previously observed with IGF-I, reaching concentrations in normal range with either dose of GH, suggesting that any GHI in this group is relatively limited to IGF-I production. For the diagnosis of GHI, the highest sensitivity (100%) and specificity (92%) was found on d 8 of the high-dose GH-IGFBP-3 generation test. Failure to raise both IGF-I and IGFBP-3 lowered sensitivity to 82-86% with low-dose GH, and 86-91% with high-dose GH.

IGF-I generation tests were developed over 20 yr ago and are currently used in differentiating GH insensitivity (GHI) from other disorders characterized by low serum IGF-I. Nevertheless, generation tests have never been adequately characterized, and insufficient normative data are available. One hundred and ninety-eight subjects [including normal subjects; subjects with GHI, GH deficiency (GHD), and idiopathic short stature (ISS); and heterozygotes for the E180 splice GH receptor mutation] were randomized to self-administration of either a high (0.05 mg/kg x d) or a low (0.025 mg/kg x d) dose of GH for 7 d. After a 2-wk washout period, they received the alternate dose. Samples were collected on d 1, 5, and 8 of each treatment period. In normal individuals, IGF-I generation was GH dependent at all ages, and little advantage was observed in using the higher dose of GH or extending beyond the d 5 sample. Some GHD patients had IGF-I levels, both baseline and stimulated, that overlapped levels in the verified GHI patients. Subjects heterozygous for the E180 GH receptor splice mutation did not show a decreased responsiveness to GH. ISS patients had low-normal IGF-I levels that did not stimulate beyond the baseline normative ranges for age. These data provide the first large scale effort to provide preliminary normative IGF generation data and evaluate the GH sensitivity of patients with GHI, GHD, and ISS.

The N-terminal domain is conserved in all members of the IGF-binding protein superfamily. Most recently, studies have demonstrated the importance of an IGF-binding protein N-terminal hydrophobic pocket for IGF binding. To examine more critically the amino acids important for IGF binding within the full-length IGF-binding protein-3 protein while minimizing changes in the tertiary structure, we targeted residues I56, L80, and L81 within the proposed hydrophobic pocket for mutation. With a single change at these sites to the nonconserved glycine there was a notable decrease in binding. A greater reduction was seen when both L80 and L81 were substituted with glycine, and complete loss of affinity for IGF-I and IGF-II occurred when all three targeted amino acids were changed to glycine. Furthermore, the ability of the IGF-binding protein-3 mutants to inhibit IGF-I-stimulated phosphorylation of its receptor was a reflection of their affinity for IGF, with the lowest affinity mutants having the least inhibitory effect. These studies, thus, support the hypothesis that an N-terminal hydrophobic pocket is the primary site of high affinity binding of IGF to IGF-binding protein-3. The mutants provide a tool for future studies directed at IGF-dependent and IGF-independent actions of IGF-binding protein-3.

The concept of growth hormone (GH) insensitivity has evolved since the condition was originally identified in 1966, and we now know that the primary defect involved is in the GH receptor. Cloning of the receptor molecule has led to great progress in our understanding of GH insensitivity (GHI) and its therapy, including the roles of GH and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in growth and development, and the relationships between height and serum levels of GH, IGF-I and their binding proteins. Despite the success of work on GHI and IGF-I, a number of opportunities have been missed in the past. The differences between the metabolic effects of GH and IGF-I are not fully understood, while measurements of IGF-I and IGF-binding protein 3 are perhaps not the ideal means of diagnosing GHI. Finally, the use of IGF-I to treat GHI has a number of limitations, and work is underway to develop alternative therapies., (Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel)

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein (IGFBP)-related proteins (IGFBP-rPs) are newly described cysteine-rich proteins that share significant aminoterminal structural similarity with the conventional IGFBPs and are involved in a diversity of biological functions, including growth regulation. IGFBP-rP1 (MAC25/Angiomodulin/prostacyclin-stimulating factor) is a potential tumor-suppressor gene that is differentially expressed in meningiomas, mammary and prostatic cancers, compared with their malignant counterparts. We have previously shown that IGFBP-rP1 is preferentially produced by primary cultures of human prostate epithelial cells (HPECs) and by poorly tumorigenic P69SV40T cells, compared with the cancerous prostatic LNCaP, DU145, PC-3, and M12 cells. We now show that IGFBP-rP1 increases during senescence of HPEC. IGFBP-rP2 (also known as connective tissue growth factor), a downstream effector of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and modulator of growth for both fibroblasts and endothelial cells, was detected in most of the normal and malignant prostatic epithelial cells tested, with a marked up-regulation of IGFBP-rP2 during senescence of HPEC. Moreover, IGFBP-rP2 noticeably increased in response to TGF-beta1 and all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) in HPEC and PC-3 cells, and it decreased in response to IGF-I in HPEC. IGFBP-rP3 [nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV)], the protein product of the NOV protooncogene, was not detected in HPEC but was expressed in the tumorigenic DU145 and PC-3 cells. It was also synthesized by the SV40-T antigen-transformed P69 and malignant M12 cells, where it was down-regulated by atRA. These observations suggest biological roles of IGFBP-rPs in the human prostate. IGFBP-rP1 and IGFBP-rP2 are likely to negatively regulate growth, because they seem to increase during senescence of the prostate epithelium and in response to growth inhibitors (TGF-beta1 and atRA). Although the data collected on IGFBP-rP3 in prostate are modest, its role as a growth stimulator and/or protooncogene is supported by its preferential expression in cancerous cells and its down-regulation by atRA.

With the greater availability of GH due to the development of recombinant human GH, GH therapy has expanded well beyond the original FDA indication for GHD. We examine the NCGS database, comparing data for FDA-approved indications with data for "other" conditions to see whether such expanded use is warranted. Although statistical analyses are of questionable validity because of the small size of some subpopulations and other factors discussed herein, certain trends emerge from the data captured by NCGS. We conclude that many clinical syndromes characterized by short stature are responsive to GH, at least in the short term. For many such syndromes, responsiveness is of the same magnitude as that seen in Turner's syndrome and, occasionally, GHD. If responsiveness to GH is the most important criterion for GH therapy, these "other" conditions warrant an open-minded, prospective evaluation.

Our understanding of the physiology of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor (GH-IGF) axis has been characterized by remarkable advances in the past decade, with clarification of genetic defects in the development of somatotropes, GH secretion and action, and IGF synthesis and action. Combined efforts of research in this area and the development of animal models of growth retardation have also indicated new genetic abnormalities that might prove to cause short stature in humans. Genetic defects, both established and hypothetical, are reviewed, and a pragmatic clinical approach to the genetic investigation of short-statured patients is presented.