Biosynthesis of the low molecular weight carrier protein for insulin-like growth factors in rat liver and fibroblasts.

Biosynthesis of the low mol wt (Mr) carrier protein for insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) was studied in the BRL-3A rat liver cell line, rat embryo fibroblasts (REFs), and fetal rat liver by biosynthetic labeling of intact cells and cell-free translation of extracted RNA. [35S]Cysteine-labeled carrier protein precursors were immunoprecipitated using antibodies raised to the approximately 33,000 Mr carrier protein from BRL-3A cells that recognize the IGF carrier protein present in fetal and neonatal rat serum, but not in adult rat serum. The IGF carrier protein is synthesized as a 35,000 Mr precursor in a reticulocyte lysate translation system directed by RNA from BRL-3A cells or REFs. Supplementation of the translation incubation with microsomal membranes decreases the size of the precursor to 33,000 Mr, presumably by removal of a signal peptide. In continuous labeling or pulse-chase experiments of intact BRL-3A cells or REFs, the 33,000 Mr protein is labeled within 10 min intracellularly, appears in the medium after 40 min, and persists in the medium for 24 h without a change in size. The intracellular carrier protein was biosynthetically labeled in BRL-3A cells with [3H]leucine, [3H]phenylalanine, [3H]arginine, or [35S]cysteine and purified, and its NH2-terminal amino acid sequence was determined. Eleven of 34 residues were identified and correspond to those of mature unlabeled carrier protein purified from conditioned medium, indicating that after removal of the signal peptide, the carrier protein undergoes no detectable further processing at its NH2-terminus. These results establish that although they are regulated coordinately, IGF-II and the fetal IGF carrier protein are synthesized as separate proteins. Finally, RNA extracted from fetal, but not adult, rat liver directs the synthesis of the 35,000 Mr carrier protein precursor, suggesting that the developmental regulation of the carrier protein may occur at the level of RNA abundance.