Endocrinology Vol. 139, No. 4 1638-1644
Copyright © 1998 by The Endocrine Society
Modulation of Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Mitogenic Signaling in 3T3-L1 Preadipocyte Differentiation1
Charlotte M. Boney,
Rose Marie Smith and
Philip A. Gruppuso
Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital and Brown
University, Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Charlotte M. Boney, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, MPS-2, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903. E-mail:
charlotte_boney{at}brown.edu
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Abstract
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Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) stimulates mitogenesis in
proliferating 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. However, IGF-I functions to
stimulate differentiation once growth arrest occurs at confluence.
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is also a potent mitogen in these cells,
but inhibits differentiation of preadipocytes. We compared mitogenic
signaling via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in
response to IGF-I or EGF in proliferating, growth-arrested, and
differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. IGF-I stimulation of MAPK was rapid and
maximal in proliferating 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, but decreased greatly in
differentiating cells. EGF was more potent than IGF-I in stimulating
MAPK activity in 3T3-L1 cells, and activation of MAPK was maintained in
differentiating cells. These results suggest an uncoupling of MAPK
activation specific to IGF-I-mediated 3T3-L1 preadipocyte
differentiation.
Studies of proximal signaling revealed Shc phosphorylation and Shc/Grb2
complex formation in IGF-I-treated proliferating, but not
differentiating, cells. Insulin receptor substrate-1 phosphorylation
after IGF-I treatment was present in proliferating, quiescent, and
differentiating preadipocytes. Shc phosphorylation and Grb2 association
after EGF treatment were present throughout all phases of growth. The
change in IGF-I signaling via Shc phosphorylation and MAPK activity
during 3T3-L1 differentiation indicates that loss of IGF-I mitogenic
signaling via the MAPK pathway is part of the differentiation process.
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Introduction
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THE IMPORTANCE of insulin-like growth
factor I (IGF-I) as a mitogen has been clearly established
in vivo (1) as well as in a variety of cell types in
culture, including preadipocytes (2, 3). IGF-I stimulates the
proliferation of 3T3-L1 cells and primary cultures of preadipocytes
in vitro, but when cells reach confluence and become
quiescent, IGF-I stimulates differentiation (4, 5). Insulin at high
doses can substitute for IGF-I in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation,
presumably by activation of the IGF-I receptor (IGFR) (5). Epidermal
growth factor (EGF) is also a potent mitogen in preadipocytes. However,
it inhibits differentiation of preadipocytes both in vitro
(6, 7) and in vivo (8). Little is known about the signaling
mechanisms used by IGF-I and EGF to mediate the disparate effects on
the proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes.
Although insulin receptor signaling in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes
has been the focus of intensive study, there has been relatively little
attention to IGF-I signaling during preadipocyte proliferation and
differentiation. The biological actions of IGF-I, EGF, and insulin are
mediated through specific receptors that are members of the tyrosine
kinase family of growth factor receptors (9). Propagation of the signal
occurs when the activated receptor tyrosine kinase phosphorylates
substrates that act downstream to mediate diverse actions, including
mitogenesis, cell differentiation, and metabolic events. An important
substrate of both the insulin and IGF-I receptors is insulin receptor
substrate-1 (IRS-1), a 185-kDa protein containing at least 20 tyrosine
phosphorylation sites in sequence motifs that recognize src
homology 2 (SH2) domains (10). The tyrosine-phosphorylated form of
IRS-1 acts as a docking protein by associating with various SH2-domain
containing proteins involved in multiple signaling pathways.
The most well understood mitogenic signaling pathway used by receptor
tyrosine kinases, including IGF-I, insulin, and EGF, is the
mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway (11). This pathway
involves a cascade of three serine-threonine protein kinases leading to
MAPK. Activation of the MAPK cascade by receptor tyrosine kinases can
occur by multiple mechanisms, all involving the formation of
multiprotein signaling complexes. One adapter protein for which a role
in MAPK activation is established is Shc. Shc is an SH2 domain
containing protein that is a direct substrate for receptor tyrosine
kinases. The majority of studies characterizing Shc have focused on EGF
and platelet-derived growth factor signaling, but recent investigation
has confirmed the direct interaction of Shc with the IGFR (12). After
tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc by an activated receptor tyrosine
kinase, Shc becomes an adapter protein that binds growth factor
receptor-bound protein 2 (Grb2). Grb2 is associated with Sos, a guanine
nucleotide exchange protein; Shc, Grb2, and Sos thereby create a
signaling complex that activates the small G protein Ras (13). IRS-1
can also bind Grb2 and Sos and activate Ras, giving the IGFR a second
potential mechanism of MAPK activation (11, 14). Ras, in turn,
activates the first kinase in the three-kinase cascade leading to MAPK.
The best described target of Ras is the protooncogene product Raf, a
serine-threonine kinase that phosphorylates and activates MEK, a MAPK
kinase (15). MEK phosphorylates and activates multiple MAPK isoforms,
including ERK1 and ERK2 (16). These two MAPKs mediate the mitogenic
effects of many growth factors through activation of transcriptional
regulators in the nucleus (11).
Elegant studies by other investigators suggest that Ras (17) and Raf
(18) are part of the signaling mechanism mediating 3T3-L1 preadipocyte
differentiation. Expression of transfected ras or
raf oncogenes led to differentiation of cells in the absence
of added IGF-I or insulin; however, MAPK was not activated. We
hypothesized that MAPK is involved in the mitogenic, but not the
differentiating, effects of IGF-I in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte
differentiation. In this paper, we analyze MAPK activity in
proliferating, quiescent, and differentiating cells after treatment
with IGF-I or EGF, two growth factors with mitogenic, but otherwise
diverse, actions in 3T3-L1 cells. Proximal signaling through
phosphorylation of Shc and IRS-1 is also investigated. Our data
demonstrate dramatic changes in IGF-I-stimulated Shc phosphorylation
and MAPK activity during 3T3-L1 differentiation. We interpret these
data as suggesting that uncoupling of IGF-I mitogenic signaling via the
MAPK pathway is part of the differentiation program.
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Materials and Methods
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Materials
Tissue culture reagents were obtained from Life Technologies
(Grand Island, NY). Dexamethasone, methylisobutylxanthine, buffer
reagents, myelin basic protein (MBP), Kodak X-Omat AR film (Eastman
Kodak, Rochester, NY), and dimethylpemilimidate were purchased from
Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Antibodies for immunoprecipitation
and Western blotting were purchased from Upstate Biotechnology (Lake
Placid, NY). Reagents for PAGE were obtained from Bio-Rad Labs
(Hercules, CA). Human recombinant IGF-I was a gift from A. F.
Parlow, Pituitary Hormones and Antiserum Center (Harbor-University of
California-Los Angeles, Torrance, CA) and was later purchased from
GroPep (Adelaide, Australia). Recombinant human EGF was purchased from
Pepro Tech (Rocky Hill, NJ). Pork-purified insulin was obtained from
Elanco Products (Indianapolis, IN).
Cell culture conditions
The murine preadipocyte line 3T3-L1 was obtained from the
American Type Culture Collection (Rockville, MD). Cells were grown in
DMEM with L-glutamine and 1 g/liter glucose and
supplemented with 50 µg/ml penicillin, 100 µg/ml streptomycin, 0.25
µg/ml amphotericin B, and 10% FBS. Cultures were maintained in an
atmosphere of 5% CO2-95% humidified air at 37 C.
Serum-containing medium (SCM) was replaced every 3 days. To study
proliferating cells, monolayers were used at
80% confluence.
Quiescent or growth-arrested cells were obtained by growing monolayers
to confluence, then maintained in SCM for 3 days postconfluence. Cells
were stimulated to differentiate after the 3-day period of growth
arrest by adding a cocktail of 0.05 µM dexamethasone, 0.5
mM methylisobutylxanthine, and 7 nM IGF-I (DMI)
in SCM for 3 days (5). Early differentiating cells were studied after
this 72-h exposure to DMI. We and others have previously demonstrated
that expression of early markers of adipocyte differentiation,
e.g. glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, occurs at this
stage before significant lipid accumulation (5, 19, 20). Later
differentiating adipocytes were studied after 3 additional days in SCM,
at which time more than 50% had intracellular lipid. Cell monolayers
were placed in serum-free medium (SFM) with 0.1% BSA overnight before
treatment the next day.
Preparation of cell lysates for in vitro analyses
Soluble and membrane fractions for analysis of kinase activity
and signaling complexes were prepared as previously described (21). For
the preparation of soluble fractions containing kinases, cell
monolayers were washed twice in cold PBS and then lysed in 100
mM NaCl, 25 mM ß-glycerophosphate (pH 7.2),
10 mM NaF, 0.2 mM sodium orthovanadate, 10
mM MgCl2, 1 mM EGTA, 1
mM dithiothreitol, 0.2% Triton X-100, 10 µg/ml
leupeptin, 10 µg/ml aprotinin, and 25 µg/ml
phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride. Cells were removed by scraping, and the
lysate was sonicated and centrifuged at 40,000 x g for 20
min. For preparation of cell extracts containing membrane-associated
signaling molecules, monolayers were washed in cold PBS, and cells were
lysed in 10 mM Tris (pH 7.6) with 1% Triton X-100, 5
mM EDTA, 50 mM NaCl, 30 mM sodium
pyrophosphate, 50 mM NaF, 0.1 mM sodium
orthovanadate, and protease inhibitors (as in the MAPK lysis buffer)
followed by centrifugation as described above. Cell lysates were stored
at -80 C until use.
Anion exchange chromatography
Cells incubated with or without hormone were lysed in kinase
lysis buffer followed by fractionation on a Mono-Q fast protein liquid
chromatography (FPLC) HR5/5 column (Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala,
Sweden). One milligram of cell lysate protein was loaded and, after a
brief wash, eluted from the column with a linear salt gradient (up to 1
M NaCl) (21). Column fractions were collected and assayed
immediately for kinase activity. Aliquots of fractions containing MAPK
activity were frozen for Western blotting to determine the MAPK
content.
MAPK assay
MAPK activity was determined in crude cell lysates using MBP as
substrate. Two micrograms of cell extract protein or a 20-µl aliquot
from each column fraction were incubated for 60 min at 30 C with 20
µl 50 mM ß-glycerophosphate (pH 7.2), 0.1
mM sodium orthovanadate, 20 mM
MgCl2, 1 mM EGTA, 200 µM
[
-32P]ATP (0.25 µCi/nmol; DuPont-New England Nuclear
Research Products, Boston, MA), and 13.3 µg MBP. The assay was
stopped with 10 µl 250 mM EDTA, and 12.5 µl 5 x
Laemmli sample buffer were added to each sample and boiled for 10 min.
Proteins were resolved on 15% SDS-polyacrylamide gels, dried, and
exposed to Kodak X-Omat film at -70 C for 1 h. A Hoefer model
300S scanning densitometer (Hoefer, San Francisco, CA) connected to a
Hewlett-Packard model 3390A integrator (Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, CA)
was used to measure phosphate incorporation into MBP. Fractions from
Mono-Q chromatography were assayed similarly, except that aliquots of
the assay mixture were spotted on Whatman P81 filter paper (Whatman,
Clifton, NJ), washed extensively in 75 mM
H3PO4 buffer, dried, and counted in Opti-fluor
scintillation fluid (Packard, Downers Grove, IL) in a Packard Tri-Carb
counter.
Immunoprecipitation and Western blotting
Immunoprecipitation of signaling proteins was performed using
protein A-Sepharose CL-4B beads (Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden) to
which specific antibody had been covalently bound using
dimethylpemilimidate (22). Cell extracts (an aliquot containing 800
µg total protein) were incubated with immobilized antibodies on beads
overnight at 4 C and then washed extensively in Tris lysis buffer
containing protease and phosphatase inhibitors as described above.
Immunoprecipitates were eluted from the beads by boiling in SDS-Laemmli
sample buffer. The eluate was resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to
Hybond C nitrocellulose (Amersham Life Science, Arlington Heights, IL),
and probed with various antisera, including 0.1 µg/ml
antiphosphotyrosine and 2 µg/ml anti-IRS-1, anti-Shc, and anti-Grb2
antibodies. Western blotting of MAPK isoforms in Mono-Q column
fractions was performed by resolving MAPK species on 15% SDS-PAGE,
transferring to nitrocellulose, and probing with 1 µg/ml antirat MAPK
R2 antibodies that recognize mouse ERK1 and ERK2. Specific binding was
visualized using enhanced chemiluminescence (Amersham Life Science,
Arlington Heights, IL) and Hyperfilm ECL (Amersham, Aylesbury, UK)
followed by quantification using scanning densitometry as described
above.
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Results
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Activation of MAPK in proliferating, quiescent, and differentiating
3T3-L1 cells
We began our investigation of IGF-I signaling in 3T3-L1
preadipocytes by comparing the activation of MAPK during the three
phases of cell growth: proliferation, quiescence (growth arrest), and
differentiation. After overnight incubation in serum-free medium,
monolayers were exposed to 7 nM IGF-I. Cell lysates were
processed at various times after IGF-I addition for measurement of MAPK
activation. IGF-I activation of MAPK peaked at 5 min and rapidly
diminished in proliferating preadipocytes (Fig. 1A
). However, MAPK activation was greatly
attenuated in growth-arrested and early differentiating cells. Time
courses of EGF and insulin activation of MAPK in proliferating cells
were similar, with a peak activation that occurred at 5 min (Fig. 1B
).
Although both IGF-I and EGF stimulate a rapid peak and decline of MAPK
activity, the change in slope after the MAPK peak following EGF
stimulation suggests a second phase of activation with EGF and not
IGF-I. In addition, EGF was much more potent than IGF-I or insulin at
comparable molar concentrations. Dose-response curves comparing EGF,
IGF-I, and insulin after 5-min exposure were generated for
proliferating 3T3-L1 cells (Fig. 2
). EGF
generated the greatest MAPK activity even at low concentrations and was
much more potent than IGF-I, with a maximal effective dose of 0.1
nM. IGF-I was more potent than insulin, with maximal
effective doses of 7 and 170 nM respectively, but large
doses of insulin approached the level of MAPK activation seen with
IGF-I.

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Figure 1. Time course of MAPK activity in 3T3-L1 cells
after treatment with IGF-I, EGF, or insulin. A, Proliferating
(circles), growth-arrested (squares), and
early differentiating cells (diamonds) were incubated in
SFM overnight and then treated with 7 nM IGF-I for various
times. Results are expressed as the mean ± 1 SD of
three independent experiments. B, Proliferating cells only were
incubated overnight in SFM before treatment with 10 nM EGF
(circles), 7 nM IGF-I
(triangles), or 8 nM insulin
(squares) for various times. Results are expressed as
the mean ± 1 SD from triplicate samples from one
experiment. Activity is expressed as densitometry units of MBP
phosphorylation on autoradiograms.
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Figure 2. Dose response of MAPK activity in proliferating
3T3-L1 cells after exposure to EGF, IGF-I, or insulin. Cells were
incubated overnight in SFM before treatment with increasing
concentrations of EGF (circles), IGF-I
(triangles), or insulin (squares) for 5
min. Results are expressed as the mean ± 1 SD of
densitometry units of MBP phosphorylation from triplicate samples.
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Given that EGF is a potent stimulator of MAPK in proliferating 3T3-L1
cells, we compared IGF-I to EGF activation of MAPK in growth-arrested
and differentiating cells. Monolayers were treated with 7
nM IGF-I or 10 nM EGF for 5 min before
collection of lysates (Fig. 3
).
EGF-stimulated MAPK activity was maximal in proliferating cells and
declined modestly in differentiating cells. IGF-I activation of MAPK
declined to a much greater degree in differentiating cells. MAPK
activity in adipocytes (late differentiating cells) treated with 8
nM insulin was greater than that in IGF-I-treated cells,
but less than that EGF-treated cells.

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Figure 3. IGF-I vs. EGF stimulation of MAPK
activity in proliferating, growth-arrested, and early and late
differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. After an overnight incubation in SFM,
cells were exposed to 7 nM IGF-I (closed
bars), 10 nM EGF (speckled bars), 8
nM insulin (cross-hatched bars; late
differentiating cells only), or no additions (open bars)
for 5 min before harvest of lysates. Activity is expressed as
densitometry units of MBP phosphorylation on autoradiograms.
Error bars represent the mean ± SEM
for four independent experiments normalized to the value in control
proliferating cells (1 densitometry unit).
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The measurement of MAPK activity in crude lysates using MBP as the
kinase substrate may be nonspecific, given the fact that MBP can be the
target of many kinases. To confirm that we were measuring MAPK activity
specifically, we fractionated MAPK proteins from cells stimulated with
either 7 nM IGF-I or 10 nM EGF by performing
anion exchange chromatography on a Mono-Q FPLC column (Fig. 4
). MAPK isoforms ERK1 and ERK2 were
identified by Western blot analysis of column fractions containing MAPK
activity. For each stage, MAPK content was similar in column fractions
regardless of IGF-I or EGF stimulation; therefore, only the
IGF-I-stimulated fractions are shown. As preadipocytes progress from
proliferation through growth arrest to differentiation, MAPK activation
of both isoforms by EGF declined, but IGF-I activation declined
disproportionately (Fig. 4
, left). Comparison of areas under
the curve for proliferating and differentiating cells treated with EGF
or IGF-I revealed a 40% decrease in EGF-stimulated MAPK activity, but
an 80% decrease in IGF-I-stimulated MAPK activity. Western blotting of
fractions using specific antiserum for ERK1 (p42) and ERK2 (p44)
revealed a significant decrease in ERK1 content compared with ERK2
content in differentiating cells (Fig. 4
, right). Activation
of these two MAPK isoforms in lysates from differentiating cells did
not parallel their abundance: loss of IGF-I activation of ERK2 was
greater despite its abundance compared with ERK1 content. Clearly,
IGF-I activation of ERK1 decreases during growth arrest and
differentiation, but activation of ERK2 decreases dramatically in early
differentiating cells compared with the effects of EGF.

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Figure 4. Fractionation of MAPK activities from
proliferating, growth-arrested, and differentiating 3T3-L1 cells by
anion exchange Mono-Q FPLC. Left, Cell monolayers were
incubated in SFM overnight before treatment with 7 nM IGF-I
(closed squares), 10 nM EGF (closed
circles), or no additions (open circles) for 5
min. For each condition, 1 mg cell lysate protein was analyzed.
Proteins were eluted with a linear gradient from 01 M
NaCl, and fractions were assayed for MAPK activity, expressed as
32P incorporation into MBP. Right, Fractions
with MAPK activity were analyzed by Western blot using anti-MAPK
antibodies. Western blots of even fractions 4052 were found to
contain the p44 (ERK2) and p42 (ERK1) isoforms of MAPK. Identical
results were obtained in a second, replicate experiment.
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Activation of proximal signaling proteins during 3T3-L1
proliferation, quiescence, and differentiation
We studied the activation of proximal signaling molecules that are
direct substrates of the IGFR and act upstream of MAPK. The IGFR
tyrosine kinase has two substrates that are likely to be involved in
Ras activation: IRS-1 and Shc (9). We assessed IRS-1 and Shc tyrosine
phosphorylation by immunoprecipitation of cell lysates with specific
anti-IRS-1 and anti-Shc antibodies followed by SDS-PAGE and Western
blotting. Phosphorylated IRS-1 measured with antiphosphotyrosine
antibodies was present in proliferating, growth-arrested, and early and
late differentiating 3T3-L1 cells after treatment with 7 nM
IGF-I (Fig. 5
, left).
Insulin-stimulated IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation in adipocytes (late
differentiating cells) was comparable to IGF-I-stimulated IRS-1
phosphorylation. IRS-1 protein content was determined by Western
blotting with anti-IRS-1 antibodies. Although IRS-1 protein content per
mg cell lysate decreased substantially with differentiation, there was
an increase in total protein content per cell that occurred with
differentiation, and equal amounts of cell lysate protein, not lysate
per equal number of cells were analyzed per condition. Densitometry of
phosphorylated IRS-1 and IRS-1 content in three independent experiments
revealed that IRS-1 phosphorylation by IGF-I was maintained as cells
differentiated, although a modest decrease in IRS-1 activation was seen
in late differentiating cells (Fig. 5
, right). Western
blotting of IRS-1 immunoprecipitates failed to detect coprecipitated
Grb2 in samples obtained at all stages of cell differentiation (data
not shown).

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Figure 5. IGF-I stimulation of IRS-1 tyrosine
phosphorylation in proliferating, growth-arrested, and early and late
differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. After overnight incubation in SFM,
proliferating (P), growth-arrested (GA), early differentiating (ED),
and late differentiating (LD) cells were treated with 7 nM
IGF-I (+), no treatment (-), or 8 nM insulin (I; late
differentiating cells only) for 5 min before preparation of extracts.
Equal amounts of protein from cell extracts were immunoprecipitated
with anti-IRS-1 antibodies, resolved by 7.5% SDS-PAGE, and transferred
to nitrocellulose. Left, Blots were probed with
anti-IRS-1 and anti-phosphotyrosine (PY) antibodies.
Right, The graph shows the densitometry results ±
1 SD of three independent experiments as a ratio of IRS-1
tyrosine phosphorylation to IRS-1 content in cells treated with IGF-I
(speckled bars), no additions (open
bars), or insulin (closed bar).
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Phosphorylation of Shc was compared in proliferating, growth-arrested,
and early and late differentiating cells treated with 7 nM
IGF-I or 10 nM EGF (Fig. 6
).
Western blotting of phosphotyrosine in Shc immunoprecipitates revealed
phosphorylation of the 52-kDa Shc isoform in IGF-I-treated
proliferating, but not differentiating, cells (Fig. 6
, left). Repeated experiments could not detect any
phosphorylated Shc in IGF-I-treated differentiating cells, nor was Shc
phosphorylated in response to 8 nM insulin in adipocytes
(late differentiating cells). Phosphorylated Shc was variably detected
in growth-arrested cells treated with IGF-I (data not shown).
Sequential Western blotting revealed associated Grb2 in Shc
immunoprecipitates of IGF-I-treated proliferating cells, consistent
with Shc activation. In contrast, Shc phosphorylation of multiple
isoforms in response to EGF was present in proliferating,
growth-arrested, and differentiating cells. Although Shc
phosphorylation in response to EGF declined during differentiation,
several replicate experiments consistently demonstrated phosphorylation
of the 52-kDa Shc by EGF in differentiating cells. Shc content
determined by Western blotting using anti-Shc antibodies revealed that
the levels of all three Shc isoforms (66, 52, and 46 kDa) remained
relatively constant during the three phases of cell growth.
Densitometry comparing phosphorylated 52-kDa Shc to Shc content in
IGF-I- and EGF-treated 3T3-L1 cells from four independent experiments
confirmed that stimulation of Shc phosphorylation persisted through
differentiation only in response to EGF (Fig. 6
, right).

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Figure 6. IGF-I vs. EGF stimulation of Shc
tyrosine phosphorylation in proliferating, growth-arrested, and
differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. Proliferating (P), growth-arrested (GA),
early differentiating (ED), and late differentiating (LD) cells were
incubated overnight in SFM before treatment with 7 nM IGF-I
(I), 10 nM EGF (E), 8 nM insulin (In; late
differentiating cells only), or no additions (C) for 5 min. Lysates
were immunoprecipitated with anti-Shc antibodies, resolved by 10%
SDS-PAGE, and transferred to nitrocellulose. Left, Blots
were probed sequentially with antiphosphotyrosine (PY), anti-Shc, and
anti-Grb2 antibodies. This figure is a composite of two experiments.
Right, The graph shows the densitometry results ±
1 SD of four independent experiments as a ratio of p52 Shc
tyrosine phosphorylation to Shc content in cells treated with IGF-I
(speckled bars), EGF (closed bars), or no
additions (open bars).
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Discussion
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We have found that IGF-I is a potent stimulator of MAPK in
proliferating 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The MAPKs have been shown to
mediate the mitogenic effects of IGF-I in several cell culture models,
including myoblasts (23), fibroblasts (24), and somatotrophs (25). The
time course and dose-response curves of IGF-I-stimulated MAPK activity
in 3T3-L1 cells are very similar to those in somatotrophs (25). IGF-I
stimulation of MAPK activity is similar to the results of other studies
in which high dose insulin treatment (2 µM) of 3T3-L1
preadipocytes resulted in significant MAPK activation (17). In our
studies, equimolar doses of insulin were not as potent as IGF-I in
stimulating MAPK activity in proliferating 3T3-L1 cells. This
presumably indicates that insulin is acting through the IGFR. 3T3-L1
preadipocytes express abundant IGFRs, and these receptors far outnumber
the insulin receptor until differentiation, at which time insulin
receptor expression increases 25-fold (5), and insulin receptor-IGFR
hybrid expression becomes detectable (26). Insulin is well known to
have a 70- to 100-fold lower affinity for the IGFR, requiring much
higher doses of insulin to match the effects of more physiological
doses of IGF-I (5).
The dramatic decrease in IGF-I-stimulated MAPK activity during early
differentiation suggests that IGF-I signaling changes after growth
arrest of 3T3-L1 cells. Unlike the differentiation-dependent expression
of the insulin and hybrid receptors, IGFR expression is relatively
unchanged (5), so loss of IGFR expression does not account for the
decline in IGF-I-stimulated MAPK activity in differentiating 3T3-L1
cells. The MAPK protein content decreases during differentiation. This
decrease in relative abundance may reflect an increase in total protein
content per cell that occurs as differentiation proceeds. However, it
does not explain the more significant decrease in ERK1 abundance, which
may indicate differential regulation of the expression of ERK1
vs. ERK2. A change in mitogenic signaling via the MAPK
pathway has also been suggested to occur in IGF-I-mediated myoblast
differentiation (27) and high dose insulin-induced differentiation of
rat preadipocytes (28), indicating that down-regulation of the MAPK
pathway may be an important component of IGF-I signal transduction
pathways mediating differentiation.
EGF is known to be a potent stimulator of MAPK in these cells (29). Our
studies also demonstrate that EGF-stimulated MAPK activity is sustained
in proliferating 3T3-L1 cells and that EGF-induced activity does not
decrease dramatically in differentiating cells. EGF receptor number
decreases as 3T3-L1 cells differentiate (30), so the down-regulation of
EGF receptors might contribute to the modest decline in EGF-stimulated
MAPK activity. EGF has been shown to inhibit preadipocyte
differentiation in vitro (6, 7) and in vivo (8).
It is likely that the mechanism of EGF inhibition involves activation
of MAPK pathways that have been shown to inhibit crucial adipogenic
transcription factors (31). Studies of MAPK activation in PC-12 cells
suggest that the duration of MAPK activation by EGF or nerve growth
factor determines either mitogenesis or differentiation (32). The
sustained MAPK response by EGF in our studies of proliferating 3T3-L1
cells may contribute to its mitogenic potency and antiadipogenic
effects. Finally, several studies have compared insulin to EGF
activation of MAPK in adipocytes; similar to our results, EGF was more
potent than insulin, and the two appeared to activate MAPK through
distinct mechanisms (28, 33).
Proximal signaling through Shc correlates with MAPK activity in IGF-I-
and EGF-treated 3T3-L1 cells at all stages of growth. This suggests
that MAPK activation by both IGF-I and EGF is mediated through the
Shc-Grb2-Sos signaling complex that activates Ras and the downstream
MAPK cascade. Phosphorylation of the 52-kDa isoform of Shc by IGF-I is
similar to insulin, as opposed to phosphorylation of multiple Shc
isoforms by EGF (34). Signaling through Shc to activate MAPK has been
well described for EGF (35, 36, 37). However, IGF-I, like insulin, has the
alternate route via Grb2 binding to IRS-1 for activation of Ras and
MAPK pathways (10, 14). We found no association of Grb2 with activated
IRS-1 after stimulation with IGF-I, suggesting that the IRS-1-Grb2-Sos
signaling pathway may not be a significant mediator of MAPK activation
in preadipocytes.
Shc phosphorylation and MAPK activity dramatically decline during
IGF-I-mediated differentiation. This switch in IGF-I signaling away
from the MAPK pathway appears to occur at the IGFR, as proximal
signaling through Shc is uncoupled despite abundant Shc protein. In
contrast, EGF stimulation of Shc phosphorylation persists in
differentiating cells. IGFR inactivation does not explain the lack of
Shc phosphorylation in differentiating cells given that IGF-I treatment
results in IRS-1 phosphorylation, an event that requires an activated
IGF-I receptor tyrosine kinase (9, 10). Other investigators studying
the signaling events proximal to MAPK activation in 3T3-L1 cells
treated with 100 nM insulin found that activation of MAPK
was Ras dependent in preadipocytes but Ras independent in
adipocytes (38), also consistent with a switch in proximal signaling.
In our studies, IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation is present in all phases
of growth, suggesting that IGF-I activation of IRS-1-mediated signaling
is important in both mitogenesis and differentiation.
Based on our data, we postulate that down-regulation of the mitogenic
pathway involving Shc and leading to MAPK may be necessary for
subsequent 3T3-L1 differentiation, although we cannot rule out with
certainty that loss of Shc signaling occurs as a result of early
differentiation. Porras et al. used a dominant negative Ras
mutant to block Raf-1 phosphorylation and MAPK activation in 3T3-L1
preadipocytes (17); in addition, MAPK was not activated in
differentiating 3T3-L1 cells despite transfected raf
oncogenes inducing differentiation, suggesting that the mechanism of
raf-induced differentiation is not via the MAPK pathway. Our
data also support the conclusion that IGF-I-mediated 3T3-L1
differentiation is a MAPK-independent process, but that this process
involves a switch in signaling at the level of the IGFR substrate, Shc.
The loss of Shc, but not IRS-1, phosphorylation by IGF-I in early
differentiating cells suggests a specific change in IGFR function.
Mechanisms thought to regulate changes in receptor tyrosine kinase
function include serine/threonine phosphorylation (39) and interaction
of the receptor with other regulatory proteins, e.g.
phosphoinositol-3-kinase (40) or Grb10 (41). The down-regulation of
mitogenic signaling during IGF-I-mediated 3T3-L1 differentiation
suggests that alterations in IGFR function may be part of the
differentiation program.
 |
Acknowledgments
|
|---|
We thank Dr. Ray Frackelton for helpful discussions and
suggestions throughout the course of these studies.
 |
Footnotes
|
|---|
1 This work was supported by Rhode Island Hospital Department of
Pediatrics research funds and a Lifespan Developmental Grant. 
Received September 22, 1997.
 |
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