The insulin-like growth factor axis in pediatrics

Abstract

The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), insulin-like growth factors binding proteins (IGFBPs), and IGFBP proteases regulate somatic growth and cellular proliferation both in vivo and in vitro. IGFs are potent mitogens whose actions are determined by the availability of free IGFs to interact with IGF receptors. IGFBPs comprise a family of proteins that bind IGFs with high affinity and high specificity and thereby regulate IGF-dependent actions. IGFBPs have recently emerged as IGF-independent regulators of cell growth. This review covers clinical aspects of the IGF axis with particular attention to its diagnostic and therapeutic roles in pediatrics. The ubiquity and complexity of the IGF axis promise exciting discoveries and applications for the future. Copyright© 1999 by The Japanese Society for Pediatric Endocrinology.