Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Growth restoration of insulin-deficient diabetic rats by recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I

Nature volume 323, pages 169–171 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and insulin stem from a common precursor, are structural homologues, act through similar receptors and elicit insulin-like and growth-promoting effects in vitro and in vivo1,2. Serum IGF-I levels are controlled by growth hormone1, insulin3–6 and nutrition6–10. Insulin-deficient growth-arrested diabetic animals have reduced serum IGF-I levels which are restored towards normal by insulin but not by growth-hormone treatment3–6. Here we show that normal growth of diabetic rats is restored by infusion of recombinant human (rh)IGF-I without normalization of the blood sugar level and that insulin acts via an increase of IGF-I synthesis on growth of diabetic rats. We describe a new mechanism of endocrine control of growth in which IGF-I is the major stimulator at the cellular level. Growth hormone and insulin act mainly by modulating the hepatic synthesis of IGF-I.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Froesch, E. R. & Zapf, J. Diabetologia 28, 485–493 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Zapf, J., & Froesch, E. R. Clin. Endocr. Metab. 13/1, 3–30 (1984).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Eigenmann, J. E. et al. Acta endocr. 85, 818–822 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Phillips, L. S. & Young, H. S. Diabetes 25, 516–527 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Phillips, L. S. & Orawski, A. T. Diabetes 26, 864–869 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Miller, L. L., Schalch, D. S. & Draznin, B. Endocrinology 108, 1265–1271 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cree, T. C. & Schalch, D. S. Endocrinologyy 117, 667–673 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Schalch, D. S. & Cree, T. C. Endocrinology 117, 2307–2312 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Clemmons, D. R. et al. J. clin. Endocr. Metab. 53, 1247–1250 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Hintz, R. L., Suskind, R. & Amatayakul, K. J. Pediat. 92, 153–156 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Schoenle, E., Zapf, J., Humbel, R.E. & Froesch, E. R. Nature 296, 252–253 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Greenspan, F. S., Li, C. H., Simpson, M. E. & Evans, H. M. Endocrinology 45, 455–463 (1949).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Schlumpf, U., Heimann, R., Zapf, J. & Froesch, E. R. Acta endocr. 81, 28–42 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Schmid, Ch., Steiner, Th. & Froesch, E. R. in Insulin-like Growth Factors/ Somatomedins (ed. Spencer, M.) 13–29 (de Gruyter, New York, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Schoenle, E., Zapf, J., Hauri, Ch., Steiner, Th. & Froesch, E. R. Acta endocr. 108, 167–174 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Zapf, J., Hauri, C., Waldvogel, M. & Froesch, E. R. J. clin. Invest. 77 (in the press).

  17. Schoenle, E., Zapf, J. & Froesch, E. R. Diabetologia 13, 243–249 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Poggy, C., Le Marchand-Brustel, Y., Zapf, J., Froesch, E. R. & Freychet, P. Endocrinology 105, 723–730 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Meuli, C. & Froesch, E. R. Eur. J. din. Invest. 5, 93–99 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Schmid, Ch., Steiner, Th. & Froesch, E. R. Calcif. Tissue Int. 35, 578–585 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Widmer, U., Schmid, Ch., Zapf, J. & Froesch, E. R. Acta endocr. 108, 237–244 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Meuli, C., Zapf, J. & Froesch, E. R. Diabetologia 14, 253–259 (1978).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Zapf, J. et al. J. clin. Invest. 63, 1077–1084 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Schwander, J. C., Hauri, C., Zapf, J. & Froesch, E. R. Endocrinology 113, 297–305 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Schmid, Ch., Steiner, Th. & Froesch, E. R. FEBS Lett. 173, 48–52 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Schmid, Ch., Steiner, Th. & Froesch, E.R. FEBS Lett. 161, 117–121 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kurtz, A., Jelkmann, W. & Bauer, Ch. FEBS Lett. 149, 105–108 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Metabolic Unit, University Hospital, CH-8091, Zurich, Switzerland

    Erika Scheiwiller, Hans-Peter Guler, Jürgen Zapf & E. Rudolf Froesch

  2. Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California, 94608, USA

    Jim Merryweather & Carl Scandella

  3. Ciba-Geigy, 4002, Basel, Switzerland

    Walter Maerki

Authors
  1. Erika Scheiwiller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hans-Peter Guler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jim Merryweather
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Carl Scandella
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Walter Maerki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jürgen Zapf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. E. Rudolf Froesch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Scheiwiller, E., Guler, HP., Merryweather, J. et al. Growth restoration of insulin-deficient diabetic rats by recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I. Nature 323, 169–171 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/323169a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/323169a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing