Regulation by nutrition and age of insulin-like growth factor binding sites in ovine kidney

The insulin‐like growth factors (IGFs) are considered to have a role in the regulation of renal growth and development. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of nutritional stress on IGF binding in ovine kidney at different postnatal ages. Binding of IGF‐I and IGF‐II to kidneys of fed and fasted sheep was characterised using histological autoradiography, competitive binding assays, and SDS‐PAGE. Nutritional regulation of IGF‐I binding was restricted to cells of the proximal tubules of two and 14‐day‐old lambs where we identified an IGF binding protein which was upregulated in response to fasting and where IGF‐II binding was also slightly enhanced. Ontogenetic changes occurred in the glomeruli where IGF‐I binding peaked at 6 months (P ≤ 0.001), and IGF‐II binding increased to 4 months and then plateaued (P ≤ 0.01). In the medulla, IGF‐II binding was highest at 4 and 6 months (P ≤ 0.05). From these studies, we conclude that the IGF axis may play a role in the regulation of the metabolic response to fasting in the kidney of young lambs. Furthermore, the changes with age which are described may reflect a transition period at 4–6 months, from an initial promotion of kidney growth and development in young lambs to establishment of the metabolic and clearance functions in the adult animal. J. Exp. Zool. 277:382–389, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.