Medical Definition of IGF
1.
Insulin like growth factors I and II are polypeptides with considerable sequence similarity to insulin.
They are capable of eliciting the same biological responses, including mitogenesis in cell culture. On the cell surface, there are two types of insulin like growth factor receptor, one of which closely resembles the insulin receptor (which is also present).
Insulin like growth factor I = somatomedin A = somatomedin C
Insulin like growth factor II = MSA (Multiplication stimulating activity).
Insulin like growth factor 1 is released from the liver in response to growth hormone.
Acronym: IGF
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of IGF
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