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Evolution of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins
Z Upton1, S J Chan, D F Steiner
1Cooperative Research Centre for Tissue Growth and Repair, Adelaide, Australia.
Growth Regulation
|March 1, 1993
Summary
Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) are ancient proteins, found in lamprey serum and widely across vertebrates. This suggests their crucial role in evolution.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Biochemistry
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins (IGFBPs) play critical roles in growth and metabolism.
- Understanding the evolutionary history of IGFBPs can provide insights into their conserved functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the origins and evolutionary relationships of IGFBPs.
- To characterize IGFBPs in non-mammalian vertebrate sera.
Main Methods:
- In vitro labeling of serum proteins.
- Analytical gel filtration.
- Ligand blotting techniques.
Main Results:
- IGFBPs were detected in lamprey serum, indicating their ancient origins.
- The major serum IGFBP in lamprey is smaller than the IGFBP3 complex found in rat serum.
- IGFBPs were identified in the sera of diverse vertebrates, including marsupials, monotremes, reptiles, birds, and turtles.
Conclusions:
- IGFBPs are ancient proteins with a long evolutionary history.
- The presence of IGFBPs across a wide range of vertebrates highlights their conserved importance.
- Comparative analysis of IGFBPs across species can reveal functional and structural insights.