Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have long been familiar as somatomedins, synthesized in and released from the liver in response to growth hormone stimulation, and acting in an endocrine fashion to promote the growth of peripheral somatic tissue. Recent evidence suggests that IGFs may also have autocrine/paracrine roles in specific aspects of the growth and differentiation of the embryo and in the postnatal response of certain organs to injury. We have shown that during early embryonic development in the rat, IGF-1 mRNA is concentrated in target zones of the developing trigeminal and sympathetic nervous systems. IGF receptor mRNA has been localized to the ventral floorplate of the developing hindbrain and spinal cord, a region involved in axonal targeting and establishing the polarity of neural growth. Perinatally, IGF-1 mRNA was localized in maturing neurons of differentiating somatosensory systems. The topographic and temporal pattern of IGF-1 gene expression in these different settings is strongly suggestive of a role for IGF-1 in the development of neural connectivity. Further studies have shown that IGF-1 and IGF receptor mRNAs are localized in anatomically complementary regions of the adult rat kidney, adrenal and gonad, suggesting a possible role for IGF-1 in physiologic autoregulation of the size and function of these organs in postnatal life. Future directions include the investigation of the role of IGFs in neural development and plasticity and in mature organ hypertrophy with a view toward developing therapeutic applications for IGFs.
| Hadnott, Tracy N; Gould, Harley N; Gharib, Ahmed M et al. (2011) Outcomes of spontaneous and assisted pregnancies in Turner syndrome: the U.S. National Institutes of Health experience. Fertil Steril 95:2251-6 |
| Bakalov, Vladimir K; Cheng, Clara; Zhou, Jian et al. (2009) X-chromosome gene dosage and the risk of diabetes in Turner syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94:3289-96 |
| Bondy, Carolyn A (2009) Turner syndrome 2008. Horm Res 71 Suppl 1:52-6 |
| McCarthy, Kateri; Bondy, Carolyn A (2008) Turner syndrome in childhood and adolescence. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab 3:771-775 |
| Matura, Lea Ann; Ho, Vincent B; Rosing, Douglas R et al. (2007) Aortic dilatation and dissection in Turner syndrome. Circulation 116:1663-70 |
| Bondy, Carolyn A; Turner Syndrome Study Group (2007) Care of girls and women with Turner syndrome: A guideline of the Turner Syndrome Study Group. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 92:10-25 |
| Matura, Lea Ann; Sachdev, Vandana; Bakalov, Vladimir K et al. (2007) Growth hormone treatment and left ventricular dimensions in Turner syndrome. J Pediatr 150:587-91 |
| Bondy, Carolyn A; Matura, Lea Ann; Wooten, Nicole et al. (2007) The physical phenotype of girls and women with Turner syndrome is not X-imprinted. Hum Genet 121:469-74 |
| King, Kelly A; Makishima, Tomoko; Zalewski, Christopher K et al. (2007) Analysis of auditory phenotype and karyotype in 200 females with Turner syndrome. Ear Hear 28:831-41 |
| Bondy, C A (2007) Heart disease in Turner syndrome. Minerva Endocrinol 32:245-61 |
Showing the most recent 10 out of 77 publications
