In mice that make extra IGF‑I in their muscles, muscle size grew about 20% and stayed larger, but the levels of proteins that normally bind IGF (IGFBPs) didn’t change because of the extra IGF‑I. Instead, IGFBP levels shifted with age and sex. A modified IGF‑I called LR3‑IGF‑I turned on the IGF‑1 receptor more strongly than regular IGF‑I, no matter the mouse’s age, sex, or genetics.

We wished to determine whether sustained IGF-I production in skeletal muscle increases local IGF binding protein (IGFBP) abundance, thereby mitigating the long-term stimulation of muscle growth by IGF-I. Muscle growth of transgenic mice that overexpress IGF-I in muscle (SIS2) and of wild-type (Wt) mice was compared. At 3, 5, 10, and 20 wk of age, hind-limb muscle weights and IGFBP-3, -4, -5, and -6 mRNA and protein abundances were quantified. Additional mice were injected with IGF-I or LR3-IGF-I, and phosphorylation of the type 1 IGF receptor (IGF-1R) was compared. Muscle mass was 20% greater in SIS2 compared with Wt mice by 10 wk of age (P < 0.01), and this difference was maintained to 20 wk. IGFBP mRNA and protein abundances were unaffected by genotype. IGFBP-4 and -5 protein abundances increased with age, whereas for IGFBP-3 and -6, there was a sexual dimorphic response (P < 0.01); after 5 wk of age, IGFBP-3 decreased in males but increased in females, whereas IGFBP-6 decreased in females and remained unchanged in males. These protein expression patterns resulted from differences at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. LR3-IGF-I stimulated IGF-1R phosphorylation to a greater extent than IGF-I at both 5 and 10 wk of age (P < 0.01), regardless of gender or genotype (P > 0.21). Thus, variations in local IGF-I levels do not appear to regulate muscle IGFBP expression. The age- and gender-specific differences in muscle IGFBP expression are not sufficient to alter the response of the muscle to the IGFs but may impact the IGF-independent effects of these IGFBPs.