Yeast-derived recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I: Production, purification, and structural characterization

Recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is efficiently expressed and secreted fromSaccharomyces cerevisiae using a yeast -factor leader to direct secretion. However, approximately 10–20% of the IGF-I was in a monomeric form, the remaining materials being disulfide-linked aggregates. When the purified material was subjected to reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (rp-HPLC), it gave two doublet peaks, I and II. Upon reduction, doublet peaks I and II converged to one doublet peak. This suggests that peaks I and II result from different disulfide structures, and the doublet feature of each peak results from other causes. Different disulfide structures between peaks I and II were also suggested from the near UV circular dichroism of these proteins. Only the peak II was biologically active, indicating that peak II has the correct disulfide structure. Concanavalin A affinity chromatography of the purified peak II doublet showed binding of the subpeak with an earlier rp-HPLC retention time, indicating that it was glycosylated. Sequence analysis of tryptic peptides suggested that Thr²⁹ was the site of glycosylation. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to convert Thr²⁹ to Asn²⁹. This substitution reduced, but did not eliminate IGF-I glycosylation, suggesting additional glycosylation sites. The site of carbohydrate addition was consistent with the model that O-glycosylations occur on hydroxyl amino acids near proline residues in -turns.     

Stable IgG-like bispecific antibodies directed toward the type I insulin-like growth factor receptor demonstrate enhanced ligand blockade and anti-tumor activity

Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) target multiple epitopes on the same molecular target or different targets. Although interest in BsAbs has persisted for decades, production of stable and active BsAbs has hindered their clinical evaluation. Here, we describe the production and characterization of tetravalent IgG-like BsAbs that combine the activities of allosteric and competitive inhibitors of the type-I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R). The BsAbs, which were engineered for thermal stability, express well, demonstrate favorable biophysical properties, and recognize both epitopes on IGF-1R. Only one BsAb with a unique geometry, denoted BIIB4-5scFv, was capable of engaging all four of its binding arms simultaneously. All the BsAbs (especially BIIB4-5scFv) demonstrated enhanced ligand blocking over the single monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), particularly at high ligand concentrations. The pharmacokinetic profiles of two IgG-like BsAbs were tested in nude mice and shown to be comparable with that of the parental mAbs. The BsAbs, especially BIIB4-5scFv, demonstrated an improved ability to reduce the growth of multiple tumor cell lines and to inhibit ligand-induced IGF-1R signaling in tumor cells over the parental mAbs. BIIB4-5scFv also led to superior tumor growth inhibition over its parental mAbs in vivo. In summary, BsAbs that bridge multiple inhibitory mechanisms against a single target may generally represent a more effective strategy for intervention in oncology or other indications compared with traditional mAb therapy.     

Single-chain antibody against human lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase: Construction, expression, purification, and activity assay

An active form of single-chain antibody (ScFv) from murine monoclonal antibody 4A7, which is specific for lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase (L-PGDS), was produced in Escherichia coli. The complementary DNA fragments encoding the variable regions of heavy chain (VH) and light chain (VL), which amplified from hybridoma 4A7 producing a monoclonal antibody (IgG1) against L-PGDS, were connected by a (Gly4Ser)3 linker using an assembly polymerase chain reaction. The resultant ScFv were cloned into the vector pGEM and expressed in E. coli as inclusion bodies. The expressed ScFv fusion proteins were purified by Ni2+-nitrilotriacetic acid chromatography. The purity and activity of purified ScFv were confirmed by SDS-PAGE and ELISA. The result revealed that 4A7 ScFv conserved the same characteristics of specific recognition and binding to sperm as the parental 4A7 monoclonal antibody.     

Epidermal growth factor receptor expression in human gliomas

Summary The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was determined in cryosections of 42 human gliomas using biotinylated epidermal growth factor (B-EGF) and two monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against EGFR. All gliomas were found to express EGFR when examined with B-EGF, whereas 33 expressed EGFR when examined with the two mAbs. The highly malignant gliomas (glioblastomas and anaplastic astrocytomas) had a more heterogeneous staining pattern and a larger proportion of tumour cells staining strongly with B-EGF than did the low-grade gliomas (astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, mixed gliomas, and ependymomas). This indicates that high-grade gliomas contain more tumour cells rich in EGFR than do the low-grade gliomas. Reactive astrocytes, ependymal cells, and many types of nerve cells (cerebral cortical pyramidal cells, pyramidal and granular hippocampal cells, Purkinje cells, cerebellar granular cells and neurons in the molecular layer of the cerebellum) expressed EGFR, whereas small neurons and normal glial cells were not found to express EGFR.     

Amino acid transport in a human neuroblastoma cell line is regulated by the type I insulin-like growth factor receptor

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and IGF-II stimulate cancer cell proliferation via interaction with the type I IGF receptor (IGF-IR). We put forward the hypothesis that IGF-IR mediates cancer cell growth by regulating amino acid transport, both when sufficient nutrients are present and when key nutrients such as glutamine are in limited supply. We examined the effects of alphaIR3, the monoclonal antibody recognizing IGF-IR, on cell growth and amino acid transport across the cell membrane in a human neuroblastoma cell line, SK-N-SH. In the presence of alphaIR3 (2 micro/ml), cell proliferation was significantly attenuated in both control (2 mM glutamine) and glutamine-deprived (0 mM glutamine) groups. Glutamine deprivation resulted in significantly increased glutamate (system X(AG)(-)), MeAIB (system A), and leucine (system L) transport, which was blocked by alphaIR3. Glutamine (system ASC) and MeAIB transport was significantly decreased by alphaIR3 in the control group. Addition of alphaIR3 significantly decreased DNA and protein biosynthesis in both groups. Glutamine deprivation increased the IGF-IR protein on the cell surface. Our results suggest that activation of IGF-IR promotes neuroblastoma cell proliferation by regulating trans-membrane amino acid transport.     

Potent and selective cyclohexyl-derived imidazopyrazine insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor inhibitors with in vivo efficacy

Preclinical and emerging clinical evidence suggests that inhibiting insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of several types of cancer. This Letter describes the medicinal chemistry effort towards a series of 8-amino-imidazo[1,5-a]pyrazine derived inhibitors of IGF-1R which features a substituted quinoline moiety at the C1 position and a cyclohexyl linking moiety at the C3 position. Lead optimization efforts which included the optimization of structure-activity relationships and drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic properties led to the identification of compound 9m, a potent, selective and orally bioavailable inhibitor of IGF-1R with in vivo efficacy in an IGF-driven mouse xenograft model.     

How insulin-like growth factor I binds to a hybrid insulin receptor type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor

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The insulin-like growth factor II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor

Recent evidence from molecular cloning, biochemical and immunological experiments has established that the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate (Man-6-P) receptor and insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) receptor are the same protein. Although the role of the IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor as a transporter of hydrolytic enzymes in the biogenesis of lysosomes is certain, elucidation of the receptor's structure has not yet provided major insights into the function of IGF-II binding. Mutually exclusive binding of IGF-II and naturally occurring phosphomannosyl ligands to distinct but proximal sites on the receptor suggests that the IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor cannot simultaneously fulfill the functional requirements of both IGF-II and lysosomal enzymes. Does the receptor transduce on intracellular signal in order to mediate the biological effects of IGF-II? If so, then the receptor must interact with an effector molecule, perhaps a G protein, in the mechanism of IGF-II action. Further information from ligand binding and especially mutagenesis experiments will be needed to elucidate the potentially multiple functions of the IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor.     

Expression, purification and characterization of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I in yeast

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a 70 amino acid (aa) protein that is structurally similar and functionally related to insulin. We have inserted a synthetic gene coding for human IGF-I into a Saccharomyces cerevisiae expression vector utilizing the MF alpha 1 promoter and pre-pro leader peptide. This vector directs the expression and secretion of native, biologically active growth factor. Cleavage of the pre-pro alpha factor leader sequence in vivo results in the secretion of a 70-aa recombinant IGF-I molecule with the native N-terminal glycine residue. Human IGF-I purified from yeast culture supernatant is equipotent to serum-derived IGF-I in inhibiting [125I]IGF-I binding to type-I IGF receptors and crude human serum-binding proteins. Recombinant IGF-I is also equipotent to human IGF-I in the stimulation of DNA synthesis in rat aortic smooth-muscle cells. In contrast, yeast recombinant IGF-I is less potent than serum-derived IGF-I in binding to type-2 IGF receptors. The ability to produce native, biologically active IGF-I in yeast will allow the elucidation of binding domains through the expression and characterization of specific structural analogs.     

Inhibition of tumor cell growth by a human B-cell line

An Adenocarcinoma cell line (Breast-M) and an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected B-cell line (Hairy-BM) were established from breast tumor tissue. The Hairy-BM was CD20⁺, CD25 (Tac)+ and surface immunoglobulin (sIg)+. Hairy-BM suppressed the in vitro proliferation of Breast-M in a time and a dose-dependent manner. The suppression was also found in 5 different human tumor targets showing tumor-Hairy-BM binding, but not; in 2 murine tumor targets showing no significant tumor-Hairy-BM binding. Lytic activity of Hairy-BM was found only against Breast-M.Abbreviations sIg Surface immunoglobulin - CTL Cytotoxic T-cells - NK Natural killer - IL2 Interleukin 2 - LAK Lymphokine activated killer - CSN Culture supernatant - MTT 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoolium bromide - PCR Polymerase chain reaction - TIL Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes - HCL Hairy cell leukemia - TNF Tumor necrosis factor     

Cloning,expression and purification of human epidermal growth factor using different expression systems

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a protein that belongs to the family of growth factors that bind the ErbB receptors, which play a prominent role in the development of carcinomas. We had demonstrated that potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor (PCI) acts as an EGF antagonist. Because of the low affinity of PCI for the epidermal growth factor receptor, it was decided to design EGF mutants with PCI abilities. In order to achieve this we have first cloned, expressed and purified the native protein, EGF. Different expression systems with different locations of the recombinant protein were designed and a purification protocol was designed with those which allowed expression of EGF. Finally, the sample needed folding. Differences in the amount of EGF obtained and its activity were observed depending on the expression system used.     

Growth hormone,insulin-like growth factor I,and motoneuron size

In this study we asked whether growth hormone (GH) and one of its key mediators, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), influence spinal motoneuron size in conjunction with whole body size. We present evidence that GH has such a role, possibly without the mediation of IGF-I. Both lumbar motoneuron and body size were found to be increased relative to littermate controls in transgenic mice overexpressing GH, while body size, but not motoneuron size, was increased in mice overexpressing IGF-I. GH overexpression coordinately increased nucleolar, nuclear, and cell body size in lumbar spinal motoneurons, so that their normal size relationships were preserved in the transgenic mice. In addition, spinal cord and brain weights were significantly increased in both types of transgenic animal. We conclude that GH can regulate motoneuron, central nervous system, and body size in the same animal, and that IGF-I can mimic the effects of GH on at least two of these three parameters. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 32: 202–212, 1997.     

Inhibition of rat C6 glioblastoma tumor growth by expression of insulin-like growth factor I receptor antisense mRNA

 The expression of insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) antisense mRNA inhibits the growth of C6 rat glioblastoma cells both in vitro and in vivo [Cancer Res (1994) 54: 2218]. Moreover, the injection of C6 cells expressing an antisense mRNA to the IGF-IR into syngeneic rats prevents subsequent wild-type tumorigenesis and induces regression of established tumors. For the study of immune function in syngeneic rats, C6 cells expressing either IGF-IR sense or IGF-IR antisense mRNA were injected and splenic lymphocyte function analyzed in vitro after 2 weeks. Cytotoxic, CD8⁺ lymphocytes from animals injected with IGF-IR antisense cells, but not from those treated with IGF-IR sense cells, proliferated in vitro in response to wild-type C6 cells. Wild-type C6 cells or IGF-IR-sense-RNA-expressing cells rapidly formed tumors upon subcutaneous injection into athymic nude mice. IGF-IR antisense cells were weakly tumorigenic, exhibiting a six- to tenfold increase in tumor latency. Injection of IGF-IR antisense C6 cells mildly delayed the development of wild-type tumors, and did not induce the regression of established wild-type C6 tumors in athymic nude mice. Thus, these findings demonstrate the stimulation of a cellular immune response in rats following the injection of IGF-IR antisense cells. However, studies of athymic nude mice indicate that expression of IGF-IR antisense mRNA also inhibits C6 cells tumorigenicity by additional mechanisms. Received: 27 January 1995 / Accepted: 15 November 1995     

Polyubiquitination of insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) activation loop promotes antibody-induced receptor internalization and down-regulation

Ubiquitination has been implicated in negatively regulating insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) activity. Because of the relative stability of IGF-IR in the presence of ligand stimulation, IGF-IR ubiquitination sites have yet to be mapped and characterized, thus preventing a direct demonstration of how the receptor ubiquitination contributes to downstream molecular cascades. We took advantage of an anti-IGF-IR antibody (h10H5) that induces more efficient receptor down-regulation to show that IGF-IR is promptly and robustly ubiquitinated. The ubiquitination sites were mapped to the two lysine residues in the IGF-IR activation loop (Lys-1138 and Lys-1141) and consisted of polyubiquitin chains formed through both Lys-48 and Lys-29 linkages. Mutation of these ubiquitinated lysine residues resulted in decreased h10H5-induced IGF-IR internalization and down-regulation as well as a reduced cellular response to h10H5 treatment. We have therefore demonstrated that IGF-IR ubiquitination contributes critically to the down-regulating and antiproliferative activity of h10H5. This finding is physiologically relevant because insulin-like growth factor I appears to mediate ubiquitination of the same major sites as h10H5 (albeit to a lesser extent), and ubiquitination is facilitated by pre-existing phosphorylation of the receptor in both cases. Furthermore, identification of a breast cancer cell line with a defect in IGF-IR ubiquitination suggests that this could be an important tumor resistance mechanism to evade down-regulation-mediated negative regulation of IGF-IR activity in cancer.     

人生长激素基因的cDNA克隆,原核高效表达及纯化

用ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ方法,从含有全长人生长激素（ＨＧＨ）基因的ＣＨＯ细胞中获得ｈｇｈ的ｃＤＮＡ,将其克隆入ｐＥＴ－１１ｂ载体中,在大肠杆菌中获得高效表达,表达量占菌体蛋白总量的２０％。经色谱纯化后,纯度大于９５％。     

Effects of cadmium and zinc on plasma levels of growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor I, and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3

Humans are constantly exposed to cadmium (Cd) as a result of the increase in air pollution and cigaret use. Zinc (Zn), which is an essential element for the metabolism of and the constituent of many enzymes, causes growth retardation in the deficiency status so at present it is often added to the diet without measuring blood levels of this element. We also aimed to observe the effects of both Cd and Zn on the plasma levels of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor I(IGF-I), and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) in this study. For this purpose, 27 young Wistar albino male rats were divided into three groups. The first group was given 50 mg/L of CdCl₂, the second group received 500 mg/L of ZnSO₄, and the third group, as a control, received only drinking water for 1 mo. At the end of this period, plasma GH, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 of the animals were analyzed in the blood obtained. The significance between groups was evaluated with the Mann-Whitney U-test. According to our results, levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in the Cd-administered group were significantly lower than those of controls (p<0.05 and p<0.01 respectively). No statistically significant difference was observed between Zn administered and control groups in terms of all three parameters. These results show that although the addition of Zn to the diet of healthy rats had no effect on the levels of GH, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3, Cd addition lowered the levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 but did not change the levels of GH compared to controls.     

Expression and characterization of a functional human insulin-like growth factor I receptor

Stable transfectants of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were developed that expressed the protein encoded by a human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) receptor cDNA. The transfected cells expressed approximately 25,000 high affinity receptors for IGF-I (apparent Kd of 1.5 X 10(-9) M), whereas the parental CHO cells expressed only 5,000 receptors per cell (apparent Kd of 1.3 X 10(-9) M). A monoclonal antibody specific for the human IGF-I receptor inhibited IGF-I binding to the expressed receptor and immunoprecipitated polypeptides of apparent Mr values approximately 135,000 and 95,000 from metabolically labeled lysates of the transfected cells but not control cells. The expressed receptor was also capable of binding IGF-II with high affinity (Kd approximately 3 nM) and weakly recognized insulin (with about 1% the potency of IGF-I). The human IGF-I receptor expressed in these cells was capable of IGF-I-stimulated autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of endogenous substrates in the intact cell. This receptor also mediated IGF-I-stimulated glucose uptake, glycogen synthesis, and DNA synthesis. The extent of these responses was comparable to the stimulation by insulin of the same biological responses in CHO cells expressing the human insulin receptor. These results indicate that the isolated cDNA encodes a functional IGF-I receptor and that there are no inherent differences in the abilities of the insulin and IGF-I receptors to mediate rapid and long term biological responses when expressed in the same cell type. The high affinity of this receptor for IGF-II also suggests that it may be important in mediating biological responses to IGF-II as well as IGF-I.     

Effect of recombinant growth hormone on expression of growth hormone receptor,insulin-like growth factor mRNA and serum level of leptin in growing pigs

Sixteen Large White × Landrace castrated male pigs were allotted into treatment and control group. The treatment group was injected intramuscularly with recombinant porcine growth hormone (rpGH, 4 mg d⁻¹) and the control group with vehicle for 28 days. Animals were slaughtered 4 h after final injection for liver, longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle and blood sampling. Serum concentration of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) and leptin were determined by RIA. The total RNA was extracted from tissues to measure the abundance of growth hormone receptor (GHR), IGF-I mRNA by RT-PCR with 18S rRNA internal standard. Results showed that rpGH enhanced the average daily weight gain by 26.1% (P < 0.05), the serum IGF-I concentration by 70.94% (P < 0.01), decreased serum leptin by 34.8% (P < 0.01). The relative abundance of GHR and IGF-I mRNA in liver were increased by 24.45% (P < 0.05) and 45.30% (P < 0.01), respectively, but no difference of GHR (P > 0.05) and IGF-I mRNA (P > 0.05) in LD between GH treated and control group was found. These results suggest that rpGH can up-regulate hepatic GHR and IGF-I gene expression and improve animal growth. However the effect of rpGH on GHR and IGF-I gene expression are tissue-specific.