Insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 induce pronounced hypertrophy of skeletal myofibers in tissue culture

Abstract

Skeletal myofibers differentiated from primary avian myoblasts in tissue culture can be maintained in positive nitrogen balance in a serum-free medium for at least 6 to 7 days when embedded in a three dimensional collagen gel matrix. The myofibers are metabolically sensitive to physiological concentrations of insulin but these concentrations do not stimulate cell growth. Higher insulin concentrations stimulate both cell hyperplasia and myofiber hypertrophy. Cell growth results from a long term 42 percent increase in total protein synthesis and a 38 percent increase in protein degradation. Myofiber diameters increase by 71 to 98 percent after 6 to 7 days in insulin-containing medium. Insulin-like growth factor-1 but not insulin-like growth factor-2, at 250 ng/ml, is as effective as insulin in stimulating cell hyperplasia and myofiber hypertrophy. This model system provides a new method for studying the long-term anabolic effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factors on myofiber hypertrophy under defined tissue culture conditions