Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Orthotopic Xenografting of Human Luciferase-Tagged Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells for in vivo Testing of Candidate Therapeutic Agents
Published on: March 7, 2011
Insulin-like growth factor II in the pathogenesis of human neuroblastoma
K A Sullivan1, V P Castle, S M Hanash
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, USA.
Abstract:
Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) acts as an autocrine growth factor for many in vitro tumor cell lines including neuroblastoma. To examine the role of IGF-II in tumor biology we have analyzed a total of 56 primary neuroblastoma tumor samples for the presence of IGF-II using a combination of mRNA and protein analysis. A group of 21 samples was examined for the presence of IGF-II mRNA by slot blot and a separate group of 37 samples was examined for IGF-II immunoreactivity. IGF-II was detected in 48% of the total tumor specimens analyzed. IGF-II immunoreactivity was observed in cells resembling developing neuroblasts and was confined to the cytoplasm and proximal neurites. The appearance of IGF-II mRNA and protein did not correlate with tumor prognostic features including stage, histology, or N-myc amplification. These data suggest that the expression of IGF-II is not confined to a specific stage of the disease but may have a broader role in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma.
Related Concept Videos
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...

