Insulinopodobny czynnik wzrostu 2 (IGF2) jest hormonem białkowym, o którym wiadomo, że reguluje proliferację komórek, wzrost, emigracja, różnicowanie i przetrwanie. Gen jest imprintowany rodzicielsko w tym sensie, że transkrypty pochodzą prawie wyłącznie z allelu ojcowskiego. Utrata imprintingu genu IGF2 jest częstą obserwacją w zaburzeniach wzrostu, które łączą się z przerostem z różnymi nowotworami złośliwymi. Ponadto, IGF2 has been proposed to play a role in the development of a variety of seemingly unrelated cancers that play an important role in geriatric medicine, np. rak piersi, colon cancer and lung cancer. Wreszcie, IGF2 has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, since, Na przykład, IGF2 has been shown to influence the size of atherosclerotic lesions.
IGF2 is a crucial factor for the regulation of cell proliferation, wzrost, emigracja, różnicowanie i przetrwanie. IGF2 (as well as IGF1) interacts with several receptors and binding proteins in order to exert its actions. It binds to the non-signaling IGF type 2 chwytnik (IGF2R) with high affinity. This receptor is homologous to the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) chwytnik. IGF2 can also bind to different signaling receptors, such as the IGF type 1 chwytnik (IGF1R) and the insulin receptor, albeit with lower affinity, although an alternatively spliced version of the insulin receptor, named insulin receptor isoform A, may bind IGF2 with higher affinity.
Both IGF1 and IGF2 are present in the circulation and can be readily detected in plasma. As might be predicted from the pattern of synthesis, circulating IGF1 levels rise during juvenile life and then decline after puberty, while circulating IGF2 levels are highest in the fetal circulation. Circulating IGFs are mostly associated with 6 specifically designed binding proteins (IGFBP) which exhibit tissue- and stage-specific expression. In vitro, all IGFBPs inhibit the biological activity of IGFs, suggesting that part of their function may be to restrict the availability of biologically active IGFs
