In contrast to the adult gut, the immature intestine is refractory to subcutaneously infused insulin- like growth factor I (IGF-I). IGF binding protein (IG-FBP) mRNA expression was characterized in intestinal tissues from 6-, 19-, and 90-day-old rats to determine if changes in local expression could account for this age-related change in IGF-I potency. For all age groups, IGFBP-3 to -6, but not IGFBP-1 or -2, were detected by Northern blot analysis. IGFBP-3, -4, and -5 were more intensely expressed in the 6- day-old rat intestine compared with weanling or adult tissue. In contrast, IGFBP-6 expression peaked at the time of weaning. In situ hybridization showed IGFBP-3 to -6 expression was confined to cells of the lamina propria and submucosa and also in the muscularis layer for IGFBP-5. Furthermore, the pattern of IGFBP-5 localization in the intestine changed with development. The findings indicate that the expression of IGFBP-3 to -6 is higher in the immature intestine compared with the adult intestine, suggesting locally produced IGFBPs may inhibit systemically derived IGF-I action in the intestine. Therefore, changes to local IGFBP expression may contribute to the varying response of the rat intestine to IGF-I peptides during postnatal development.
