ABSTRACT

In the present study a double-staining technique was developed to investigate simultaneous GH and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) binding to chondrocytes in a monolayer cell culture.

Rat tibial epiphyseal chondrocytes were isolated by enzymatic digestion and cultured in monolayer. GH and IGF-I were labelled with biotin. The affinity of the biotin-labelled ligands was compared with unlabelled ligands in a radioreceptor assay.

To study the distribution of GH and IGF-I binding in the monolayer, chondrocytes were incubated with biotinylated ligands with or without an excess of unlabelled ligands, followed by incubation with Vectastain ABC complex, which was then reacted with diaminobenzidine (DAB). Double staining was accomplished by carrying out the first reaction with DAB in the presence of nickel ammonium sulphate to give a black precipitate, followed by incubation with the second ligand, then ABC complex and finally DAB in the absence of nickel ammonium sulphate to give a brown stain. The presence of type-II collagen was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and used as a marker for differentiated chondrocytes.

Biotin-labelled GH and biotin-labelled IGF-I exhibited dose-dependent displacements of ¹²⁵I-labelled GH and ¹²⁵I-labelled IGF-I respectively from the chondrocytes in a radioreceptor assay. The displacement curves were identical to those of unlabelled ligands indicating that the affinity was unaltered. Binding of biotinylated GH to cells was seen throughout the culture in regions where there was little or no type-II collagen staining. IGF-I binding was predominantly localized to cells at high density; areas which also showed a high degree of staining for type-II collagen.

The different locations of binding suggest that epiphyseal chondrocytes in monolayer culture comprise a heterogeneous cell population and that IGF-I and GH have different target cells.

Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 137, 361–367

ABSTRACT

The effects of tri-iodothyronine (T₃) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on [³H]thymidine incorporation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and IGF-I receptor mRNA levels were studied in rat epiphyseal chondrocytes cultured in monolayer.

Chondrocytes from enzymatically digested rat tibia epiphyseal growth plates were seeded in monolayer culture and precultured for 7–14 days in Ham's F-12 medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) newborn calf serum and 1% (v/v) of a serum substitute. After preculture the medium was changed to Ham's F-12 medium containing 1% (v/v) serum from hypophysectomized rats, and the effects of T₃ and/or IGF-I on DNA synthesis ([³H]thymidine incorporation), ALP activity (a late marker of differentiated epiphyseal chondrocytes) and IGF-I receptor mRNA levels were studied.

ALP activity was increased by T₃ in a dose-dependent manner with a maximal response at 10 μg T₃/1 (678 ±86% compared with control culture). The increase in ALP activity was accompanied by a concomitant decrease in [³H]thymidine incorporation (52 ±14% compared with control culture). Human GH (hGH; 50 μg/l) and IGF-I (25 μg/l) had no stimulatory effect on ALP activity. However IGF-I (10 μg/l) exerted an inhibition on the T₃ (10 μg/l)-induced increase in ALP activity (64 ± 9% compared with T₃-treated culture). T₃ (3 μg/l) inhibited the increase in [³H]thymidine incorporation caused by 25 μg IGF-I/l(51 ± 13% compared with IGF-I-treated culture). Furthermore, IGF-I receptor mRNA levels were increased by 10 μg T₃/l (137 ±4·2% compared with control culture) while no effect of hGH (50 μg/l) or IGF-I (25 μg/l) was demonstrated.

Both T₃ and IGF-I were shown to interact with epiphyseal chondrocytes and both substances seemed to affect cell proliferation and maturation and therefore longitudinal bone growth. Furthermore, the results indicated that IGF-I is important for proliferation of the cells while T₃ initiates the terminal differentiation of epiphyseal chondrocytes.

Journal of Endocrinology (1992) 135, 115–123

Abstract

Cirrhosis of the liver, a condition characterised by hepatocyte regeneration, is also associated with elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance. In animal models hepatic regeneration is associated with increased IGFBP-1 gene expression. Insulin is known to be an inhibitor of IGFBP-1 gene expression and circulating insulin levels in man demonstrate a negative correlation with IGFBP-1 levels. To further our understanding of the regulation of IGFBP-1 in cirrhosis we have studied steady state levels of IGFBP-1 mRNA in human liver from three groups of patients: Group 1, tissue obtained at the time of harvesting donor liver for orthotopic liver transplantation (n=4); group 2, patients undergoing major liver resection with no histological evidence of chronic liver disease (n=4); and group 3, patients undergoing orthotopic transplantation for chronic liver failure (n=9). Simultaneous samples of serum were taken at the time of surgery in some patients and in these patients IGFBP-1 mRNA levels were related to circulating levels of IGFBP-1 and insulin.

IGFBP-1 mRNA was detectable in all the human liver samples with the greatest levels seen from the normal livers of group 2 patients. Insulin levels were elevated in the cirrhotic group 3 patients compared to a normal range as were IGFBP-1 levels. There was no relationship between circulating levels of IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-1 gene expression.

In conclusion, IGFBP-1 mRNA is present in human adult liver at the time of surgery and also in cirrhotic liver despite high levels of insulin suggesting that there are factors other than insulin regulating IGFBP-1 gene expression.

Journal of Endocrinology (1994) 141, 377–382