Insulin-like growth factor I regulation of Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes in culture.

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is anabolic for chondrocytes and is thought to be important in regulating such normal cartilaginous tissues as the epiphyseal growth plate. In the present studies, we have investigated the role of IGF-I in the regulation of neoplastic cartilage. Chondrocytes cultured from a transplantable rat chondrosarcoma were analyzed for responsiveness to IGF-I with respect to DNA and glycosaminoglycan synthesis as determined by labeling with radioactive thymidine and sulfate, respectively. Stimulation of [3H]thymidine and [35S]sulfate incorporation by IGF-I was two to four times that in serum-free controls, with half-maximal stimulation at 1 x 10(-9) M. The efficacy of IGF-I was approximately one-half of that of serum in stimulating [3H]thymidine incorporation and was comparable to that of serum for [35S]sulfate incorporation. When Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes were cultured in the presence of IGF-I and exposed to graded concentrations of anti-IGF-I antibody, [3H]thymidine incorporation and [35S]sulfate incorporation were attenuated in a dose-dependent fashion to 29 and 25% of antibody-free controls, respectively. Nonspecific antibody not raised against IGF-I was not inhibitory. These observations suggest that the majority of IGF-I action on these cells is susceptible to immunoinhibition. To estimate the contribution of IGF-I to the regulation of these cells by serum, Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes were cultured with graded concentrations of either calf serum or fetal calf serum in the presence of anti-IGF-I antibody, nonspecific antibody, or no other additives. Specific antibody attenuated the effect of calf serum on both [3H]thymidine and [35S]sulfate incorporation with overall inhibition of 52% (P < 0.01) and 48% (P < 0.001), respectively. Nonspecific antibody super-imposed small, variably stimulatory or inhibitory effects on those of calf serum. When chondrosarcoma chondrocytes were incubated with fetal calf serum, anti-IGF-I antibody exerted a minimal inhibitory effect, reducing both [3H]thymidine and [35S]sulfate incorporation by less than 25%. The immunoinhibition of both pre- and postnatal serum could be overcome in a dose-dependent fashion by increasing serum concentrations. These results suggest that the factors influencing Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes may be developmentally regulated and that the contribution of IGF-I to the action of serum increases between fetal and post-natal life. These data support the hypothesis that chondrosarcoma is a somatomedin-responsive neoplasm and suggest that this tumor may be susceptible to interventions directed toward mechanisms that block insulin-like growth factor action.