IGF-1 Upregulates Biglycan and Decorin by Increasing Translation and Reducing ADAMTS5 Expression

Proteoglycan (PG) is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-conjugated protein essential for maintaining tissue strength and elasticity. The most abundant skin PGs, biglycan and decorin, have been reported to decrease as skin ages. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is important in various physiological functions such as cell survival, growth, and apoptosis. It is well known that the serum level of IGF-1 decreases with age. Therefore, we investigated whether and how IGF-1 affects biglycan and decorin. When primary cultured normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) were treated with IGF-1, protein levels of biglycan and decorin increased, despite no difference in mRNA expression. This increase was not inhibited by transcription blockade using actinomycin D, suggesting that it is mediated by IGF-1-induced enhanced translation. Additionally, both mRNA and protein expression of ADAMTS5, a PG-degrading enzyme, were decreased in IGF-1-treated NHDFs. Knockdown of ADAMTS5 via RNA interference increased protein expression of biglycan and decorin. Moreover, mRNA and protein expression of ADAMTS5 increased in aged human skin tissues compared to young tissue. Overall, IGF-1 increases biglycan and decorin, which is achieved by improving protein translation to increase synthesis and preventing ADAMTS5-mediated degradation. This suggests a new role of IGF-1 as a regulator for biglycan and decorin in skin aging process.