Description
The somatomedins, or insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), comprise a family of peptides that play important roles in mammalian growth and development. IGF1 mediates many of the growth-promoting effects of growth hormone (GH; MIM 139250). Early studies showed that growth hormone did not directly stimulate the incorporation of sulfate into cartilage, but rather acted through a serum factor, termed "sulfation factor," which later became known as "somatomedin". Three main somatomedins have been characterized: somatomedin C (IGF1), somatomedin A (IGF2; MIM 147470), and somatomedin B (MIM 193190)