Transforming growth factor-beta and forskolin increase all classes of insulin-like growth factor-I transcripts in normal human osteoblast-like cells.

In this study, we examined regulation of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) gene expression and transcript splicing in normal human osteoblast-like cells. Previous studies in rat osteoblastic cells have indicated that transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) inhibits IGF-I expression, whereas inducers of intracellular cAMP stimulate IGF-I expression. However, in human osteoblast-like cells both TGF-beta and forskolin increased IGF-I mRNA levels in a time- and dose-dependent manner. All 4 classes of IGF-I transcript that can result from alternate leader exon usage and splicing of the human IGF-I gene were induced proportionally. Although human osteoblasts increase IGF-I mRNA in response to important skeletal regulatory factors, some responses may be species-specific.