Ebook: The IGF System: Molecular Biology, Physiology, and Clinical Applications

It has been over 40 years since the original report by Salmon and Daughaday demon­ strating that the ability of GH to stimulate sulfation of cartilage was mediated by a "sulfation factor. " In the ensuing decades, it has become apparent that this "sulfation factor activity" encompasses a complex system ofligands (IGFs), receptors, and carrier proteins that are, in tum, responsible for a wide array of cellular actions. The IGF system has been demonstrated to be critically involved in both intrauterine and postnatal growth, and to have important implications in cancer biology as well, owing to the ability of the IGFs to function in endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine modes and given the wide distri­ bution of IGFs in virtually every organ system. The contributions to The /GF System reflect the wide span of interest in the IGF system and its implications for normal and abnormal growth and metabolism. The chapters have been divided into four broad sections: I. Molecular biology of the IGF system; II. Bio­ logical actions of the IGFs; III. IGF physiology; and IV. Clinical aspects of the IGFs. We have made every effort to highlight the major contemporary themes in IGF biology, but as is inevitable in such a fast-moving field, perspectives will continue to change as new information is accumulated.

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Influential researchers comprehensively survey the basic and clinical aspects of the insulin-like growth factor system. Their state-of-the-art synthesis of a broad range of IGF research illuminates the interplay among ligands, receptors, and binding proteins, each exerting both the local and systemic effects that constitute this complex system. The book examines in detail not only the molecular biology, the biological actions, and the physiology of the various IGF systems, but also the clinical aspects of the IGF system, ultimately producing a useful paradigm for the investigation of related hormone, growth factor, and cytokine signaling systems. The IGF System: Molecular Biology, Physiology, and Clinical Applications is the first extended treatment of the IGF system in many years and is designed to serve as the new standard reference-of-choice for all basic and clinical investigators, as well as practicing physicians treating a range of human diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.