Coordinate expression of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) and IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor mRNA and stable expression of IGF-I receptor mRNA during differentiation of human colon carcinoma cells (Caco-2).

Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) has been implicated in the differentiation of skeletal muscle cells. In this study the putative role of IGF-II in epithelial cell differentiation was investigated. The expression of IGF-II, IGF-I receptor and IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor (IGF-II/M6P receptor) mRNA during spontaneous differentiation of the colon carcinoma cell line Caco-2 was measured. In addition, differentiation of Caco-2 cells during the cell culture period (days 1-21 in culture) was studied in parallel using morphological (light and scanning electron microscopy) and biochemical markers of growth (DNA, RNA and protein content, and beta-actin mRNA and glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA expression) and differentiation (alkaline phosphatase activity, carcinoembryonic antigen content). A putative correlation between the markers of growth and differentiation and IGF gene expression was studied using linear regression analysis. Expression of IGF-II mRNA and IGF-II/M6P receptor mRNA correlated significantly with the progress of differentiation, while the IGF-I receptor was stably expressed throughout the culture period and exhibited a crucial role for the survival of Caco-2 cells, as shown by blocking experiments employing the monoclonal anti-IGF-I receptor antibody alpha-IR3. We hypothesize that: IGF-II mRNA and IGF-II/M6P receptor mRNA are expressed in a coordinate fashion during the differentiation of Caco-2 cells; coordinate expression of IGF-II and of IGF-II/M6P receptor mRNA might point to a role for IGF-II as a growth stimulant and for the IGF-II/M6P receptor for a regulator of IGF-II bioavailability in differentiating cells; alternatively, high IGF-II/M6P receptor mRNA and protein expression in differentiated cells but low IGF-II binding to the IGF-II/M6P receptor point to an important intracellular role of this receptor type in differentiated colon epithelial cells; the IGF-I receptor mRNA is stably expressed during the differentiation process of Caco-2 cells; the IGF-I receptor protein seems to be a prerequisite for the survival of Caco-2 cells.