title: Stimulation by insulin of protein synthesis in cultured chick embryo fibroblasts.
abstract: Insulin stimulates protein synthesis in skeletal muscle of young animals and has been reported to exert similar effects on a variety of mammalian cell types in culture. However, with chick embryo fibroblasts we found that the extent of this effect was very sensitive to the culture conditions of the cells prior to the insulin treatment. The most reproducible results were obtained with cells that had been sub-cultured into medium in which fetal calf serum was replaced with 2% horse serum. Insulin only stimulated protein synthesis when added at supra-physiological concentrations. Insulin-like growth factor 1 was effective at much lower concentrations. Since chick embryo fibroblasts can be obtained in good yield, they offer, if treated under appropriate conditions, a suitable system for study of the mechanisms by which insulin and IGF-1 promote the initiation of protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
authors.forename: I W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Jeffrey
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Pain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003470:Culture Media; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000494:pharmacology; D011132:Polyribosomes / Q000187:drug effects; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D007328:Insulin; D012313:RNA; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I