Insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins in domestic animals

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins play an essential role in regulating animal growth and metabolism. The initial portion of the current review focuses on the physiological effects of the IGFs and delineates their role as regulators of animal growth and metabolism. The role of IGFs as mediators of growth hormone effects, as insulin-like metabolic regulators and as foetal growth regulators is discussed. The remainder of the review is devoted to the IGF binding proteins, their modulation of IGF action and their role in foetal and postnatal regulation of growth.