Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is an important regulator of endochondral ossification. However, little is known about the signaling pathways activated by IGF-I in growth plate chondrocytes. We have previously shown that NF-B-p65 facilitates growth plate chondrogenesis. In this study, we first cultured rat metatarsal bones with IGF-I and/or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a known NF-B inhibitor. The IGF-I-mediated stimulation of metatarsal growth and growth plate chondrogenesis was neutralized by PDTC. In rat growth plate chondrocytes, IGF-I induced NF-B-p65 nuclear translocation. The inhibition of NF-B-p65 expression and activity (by p65 short interfering RNA and PDTC, respectively) in chondrocytes reversed the IGF-I-mediated induction of cell proliferation and differentiation and the IGF-I-mediated prevention of cell apoptosis. Moreover, the inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Akt abolished the effects of IGF-I on NF-B activation. In conclusion, our findings indicate that IGF-I stimulates growth plate chondrogenesis by activating NF-B-p65 in chondrocytes.
IGF-I2 is a key regulator of longitudinal bone growth, with such role being exerted both during intrauterine and extrauterine life. Knock-out mice for IGF-I exhibit intrauterine growth retardation and experience a subnormal postnatal growth rate (1). A similar growth pattern has been described in a child born with a homozygous IGF-I deletion (2).The fact that IGF-I null mice have a reduced growth plate height clearly suggests a facilitatory role for IGF-I on growth plate chondrogenesis and, in turn, on longitudinal bone growth. The presence of the IGF-I receptor in growth plate chondrocytes also suggests that IGF-I facilitates longitudinal bone growth directly at the growth plate (3, 4). However, little is known about the specific molecular mechanisms responsible for the IGF-I-mediated induction of growth plate chondrogenesis.Mammalian NF-B is a group of transcription factors, including seven members, p65 (RelA), c-Rel, RelB, p50/p105 (NF-B1), and p52/p100 (NF-B2) (5). Upon activation by a wide variety of stimuli (proinflammatory cytokines, growth factors, and viral proteins), NF-B translocates to the nucleus, where it modulates the expression of target genes involved in cell growth, survival, adhesion, and death (6, 7). These target genes include anti-apoptotic (8) as well as pro-apoptotic ones (9), suggesting that the effects of NF-B on cell growth and survival may depend on the cell type and on the nature of the extracellular stimuli.Previous evidence indicates that NF-B exerts a regulatory role in bone growth and development. Mice deficient in both the NF-B subunits p50 and p52 have retarded growth and shortened long bones (10), suggesting that NF-B may be involved in bone formation and growth. In addition, we have recently shown that the NF-B subunit p65 has a facilitatory role on growth plate chondrogenesis (11). Because experimental evidence in a number of cell types suggests a functional interaction between IGF-I and NF-B (12-...