The Insulin-like Growth Factor System and Its Biological Actions in Fish

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system plays an importantrole in controlling animal development and growth. There arethree components to the IGF system: ligands (IGF-I and IGF-II),receptors (type I and type II IGF receptors) and IGF-bindingproteins (IGFBPs). These members of the IGF system are expresseddifferentially and their expression patterns implicate themin critical developmental events. Even though IGFs have beenproven essential for normal fetal growth through experimentsusing IGF "knock-out" mice, the precise role of each memberof the IGF system is not fully understood. Recent studies suggestthat the IGF system has been highly conserved in teleost fish.This paper provides an overview of what is currently known aboutthe IGF system in teleost fish. Several aspects of the IGF systemare discussed, including the structural and functional aspectsof fish IGFs, the fish IGF receptors and IGFBPs. The biologicalactions of fish IGFs are described in reference to their rolesin growth, development, reproduction and osmoregulation. Finally,some of the unique advantages of using teleost fish as experimentalmodels for defining the developmental role of the IGF systemand the underlying molecular mechanisms are discussed