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The role of the insulin-like growth factor system in prenatal growth

Ruvdeep Randhawa1, Pinchas Cohen

  • 1Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Molecular Genetics and Metabolism
|September 17, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) involves genetic and environmental factors impacting infant development. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis is crucial, and understanding its role in FGR is key for diagnosis and treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is linked to significant morbidity in neonates and later in life.
  • The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis is recognized for its critical role in fetal and postnatal development.
  • The precise mechanisms by which maternal factors contribute to FGR via the IGF axis are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis in fetal growth restriction (FGR).
  • To explore how genetic and environmental factors, particularly maternal influences, impact fetal growth through the IGF pathway.
  • To identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for FGR by elucidating IGF axis involvement.

Main Methods:

  • Review of genetic studies in humans and mice involving IGF ligands (IGF1, IGF2), IGF type-I receptor, and IRS1.
  • Analysis of IGF levels in newborns with small for gestational age (SGA).
  • Exploration of the interplay between maternal nutrient supply, placental function, and fetal growth regulation via the IGF axis.

Main Results:

  • Mutations in IGF ligands, IGF type-I receptor, or IRS1 are associated with FGR in humans and mice.
  • Low IGF levels are observed in human SGA newborns, though genetic mutations are rare.
  • Idiopathic FGR is often attributed to maternal factors, suggesting complex regulatory pathways.

Conclusions:

  • The IGF axis plays a fundamental role in regulating fetal growth.
  • Maternal factors significantly influence fetal development, potentially through subtle alterations in the IGF axis.
  • Further research into genetic variations, polymorphisms, and epigenetic regulation of the IGF axis may explain many idiopathic FGR cases.

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