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Expression of insulin-like growth factor system components in colorectal tissue and its relation with serum IGF
Alina Vrieling1, Dorien W Voskuil, Astrid Bosma
1Division of Experimental Therapy, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Context:
The insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-system has been implicated in colorectal tumor carcinogenesis. Although both tumor expression levels and serum concentrations of IGF-system components are related to colorectal cancer risk, it is unknown whether IGF levels in tissue and serum are correlated.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to determine expression levels of various IGF-system components in different locations of the colorectum, and to investigate whether normal tissue IGF expression levels are correlated with serum IGF-I and IGF-II concentrations.
Design:
Biopsies from macroscopically normal mucosa at four locations in the colorectum (ascending, transverse, sigmoid colon, and rectum) and a fasting serum sample were obtained from 48 asymptomatic patients at increased risk of colorectal cancer. Expression levels of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-IR, IGF-IIR, and IGFBP-3 messenger RNA (mRNA) in tissue were quantitatively evaluated using real-time RT-PCR. Expression of IGF-IR protein in the ascending colon and rectum tissue specimens was assessed semi-quantitatively by immunohistochemistry. Serum IGF-I and IGF-II concentrations were determined using immunometric assays.
Results:
With the exception of IGF-IIR, mRNA levels of all the IGF-system components investigated, as well as IGF-IR protein expression, were significantly higher in the rectum compared with the ascending colon (p
Conclusions:
Our results indicate that in humans IGF-system components are differentially expressed in the colorectum. Moreover, our findings suggest that local and circulating components of the IGF-system are differentially regulated. However, due to large intra-individual variation in mRNA expression, we cannot formally exclude undetected but existing routes of co-regulation.
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