Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) play a key role in insulin and insulin growth factor signaling and are known to be expressed in several tissues. Studies on the transcriptional regulation of IGFBP genes in various cell types have suggested that IGFBPs control both systemic hormones and regulators. Also, the complex regulatory mechanisms involved in both transcription and translation of IGFBPs provide evidence for molecular mechanisms by which growth factor- and hormone-mediated gene expression are regulated. In particular, IGFBP-1 is known to be an important regulator of IGF activity and mainly regulates metabolism in mammals. In this review, we focus on recent progress in elucidating the transcriptional regulation of IGFBP-1 among IGFBP isoforms.
Keywords: IGF; IGFBP-1; Metabolic disease; Transcription.