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Gene-targeting and transgenic approaches to IGF and IGF binding protein function
1Department of Neuroscience and Anatomy, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey 17033, USA.
The American Journal of Physiology
|October 1, 1995
Summary
Genetic manipulation in mice, including gene knockout and overexpression, reveals the critical roles of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) in growth and cancer. These models also hint at an unknown receptor influencing fetal development.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Genetic manipulation in mouse germ lines offers powerful in vivo gene function studies.
- Transgenic and gene-targeted mouse models are crucial for understanding complex biological systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vivo functions of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), their receptors, and binding proteins.
- To elucidate the roles of the IGF system in fetal and somatic growth, transformation, and tumorigenesis.
- To explore the physiological consequences of chronic gene alterations using mouse models.
Main Methods:
- Generation of transgenic mouse lines with gene overexpression.
- Development of gene-targeted mouse lines with gene deletion.
- Analysis of combinatorial crosses of gene-targeted mouse lines.
Main Results:
- Elucidation of IGF roles in fetal and somatic growth.
- Demonstration of the IGF system's critical role in transformation and tumorigenesis.
- Identification of potential roles for IGF binding proteins in vivo.
- Evidence suggesting an unidentified IGF receptor regulating fetal growth.
Conclusions:
- Transgenic and gene-targeted mouse models are indispensable tools for studying gene function and physiological consequences in vivo.
- The IGF system plays a multifaceted role in growth, development, and cancer.
- Further research is warranted to identify the novel IGF receptor implicated in fetal growth.