title: Purified rat acid-labile subunit and recombinant human insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein-3 can form a 150-kilodalton binary complex in vitro in the absence of IGFs.
abstract: Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) circulate in plasma mainly as part of a 150-kilodalton (kDa) complex with 40- to 45-kDa IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and an approximately 85-kDa acid-labile subunit (ALS) that does not bind IGFs directly. This complex sequesters IGFs in plasma, thereby providing a potential reservoir of the growth factors for tissues while constraining their potential hypoglycemic effects. Although it has been thought that IGFBP-3 must first bind IGF-I or IGF-II before it can complex with ALS to form the 150-kDa complex, we recently showed that unoccupied 150-kDa binary complexes of IGFBP-3 and ALS are abundant in adult rat serum. We now demonstrate that IGFBP-3 and rat (r)ALS can form 150-kDa complexes in the absence of IGFs. ALS was purified from rat serum by anion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography on an IGF-I-Sepharose column to which human (h) IGFBP-3 had been noncovalently bound. The preparation contained less than 0.1 ng IGF-I/microgram(s) purified ALS. In the absence of IGF, radiolabeled (r)ALS and recombinant hIGFBP-3 formed complexes that could be immunoprecipitated by antiserum to hIGFBP-3; these complexes were identified by direct quantitation of the precipitated radioactivity or by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDA-PAGE). Inclusion of IGF-I in the incubation increased complex formation. Complex formation also was demonstrated by incubation of unlabeled rALS with hIGFBP-3, followed by affinity cross-linking. Complexes were fractionated by SDS-PAGE, blotted, and shown to contain unoccupied IGF-binding sites by their ability to bind radioiodinated IGF-II. In addition, when rALS was subjected to SDS-PAGE and blotted, radioiodinated recombinant hIGFBP-3 bound to the 85-kDa protein. In this experiment IGFBP-3 binding was slightly increased by coincubation with IGF-I. Thus, purified rALS can form a 150-kDa complex with hIGFBP-3 in the absence of IGF in vitro. The efficiency of complex formation was increased to variable extents by coincubation with IGF-I depending on the assay method.
authors.affiliation: Growth and Development Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rechler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000378:metabolism; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008970:Molecular Weight; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013002:Somatomedins; C075944:insulin-like growth factor binding protein, acid labile subunit; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II