Igf2r improves the survival and transmission ratio of Igf2 transgenic mice

Mammals with excess insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGFII) during embryogenesis have developmental defects that can lead to perinatal lethality. In adults, higher levels of IGFII increase the risk of cancer and may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. IGFII can be increased as a consequence of genetic abnormalities and polymorphisms, and through epigenetic mechanisms. Decreasing IGFII levels thus can benefit human health. Degradation of IGFII is mediated by the insulin-like growth factor type 2 receptor (IGF2R). The growth-stimulatory effects of IGFII, and their attenuation by the IGF2R, are considered important for the evolution of IGFII/IGF2R interaction and imprinting. The IGFII/IGF2R interactions during development have been previously examined in mice carrying knock-out alleles of these genes or their regulators. Here we tested the ability of the IGF2R to ameliorate the negative effects of IGFII on development and survival in crosses between Igf2 and Igf2r transgenic mice, which may be a better model for natural variations in the levels of these genes' products. A fraction of hemizygous Igf2 transgenic mice die in the perinatal period, some with cleft palates, with an ensuing reduction in the frequency of transgenic mice among the surviving offspring. The Igf2r transgene lowers the frequency of cleft palate and increases the percentage of Igf2 transgenic mice among the live offspring. These findings draw attention to the fact that Igf2-associated lethality selects for the retention of IGFII/IGF2R binding in present day mammals; it may have played a similar role in the acquisition of IGFII/IGF2R binding in ancient mammals.