title: Mitogen-potentiating action and binding characteristics of insulin and insulin-like growth factors in Chinese hamster fibroblasts.
abstract: alpha-Thrombin alone is able to stimulate DNA synthesis reinitiation of G0-arrested Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (CC139) as well as continued growth of these cells in serum-free medium. Although insulin at high concentrations (1-10 micrograms/ml) is not intrinsically mitogenic for these cells, it potently enhances the growth-promoting action of thrombin. The generation time of CC139 cells in the defined medium, transferrin, alpha-thrombin, insulin, is around 15 h. To determine whether this effect of insulin is mediated via putative receptors for the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) on these cells, we examined the abilities of two IGFs, Multiplication-Stimulating Activity (MSA) and IGF-I, to potentiate the thrombin-induced reinitiation of DNA synthesis. Both IGFs were found to be as effective as insulin for this biological effect; however, much lower concentrations were required to elicit half-maximal response, 100 ng/ml of MSA and 30 ng/ml of IGF-I. Detailed binding studies using 125I-labelled insulin, MSA, and IGF-I revealed that CC139 cells specifically bind all three polypeptides with IC50 values for the corresponding ligands of 1-2 ng/ml, 80-100 ng/ml, and 30-40 ng/ml, respectively. 125I-MSA binding was insulin-insensitive, whereas insulin did compete with 125I-IGF-I for binding to CC139 cells. These results indicate that CC139 cells possess at least two types of IGF receptors, an insulin-insensitive IGF receptor with high affinity for MSA which apparently mediates its biological effect, and an insulin-sensitive IGF-I receptor. Insulin appears to exert its mitogen-potentiating activity in CC139 fibroblasts by interacting with the IGF-I receptor.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005347:Fibroblasts; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013917:Thrombin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D010455:Peptides; D013002:Somatomedins; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II; D004247:DNA; D013917:Thrombin