Phenotype analysis of male transgenic mice overexpressing mutant IGFBP-2 lacking the Cardin–Weintraub sequence motif: Reduced expression of synaptic markers and myelin basic protein in the brain and a lower degree of anxiety-like behaviour

Abstract Brain growth and function are regulated by insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGF-I and IGF-II) but also by IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs), including IGFBP-2. In addition to modulating IGF activities, IGFBP-2 interacts with a number of components of the extracellular matrix and cell membrane via a Cardin–Weintraub sequence or heparin binding domain (HBD1). The nature and the signalling elicited by these interactions are not fully understood. Here, we examined transgenic mice (H1d-hBP2) overexpressing a mutant human IGFBP-2 that lacks a specific heparin binding domain (HBD1) known as the Cardin–Weintraub sequence. H1d-hBP2 transgenic mice have the genetic background of FVB mice and are characterized by severe deficits in brain growth throughout their lifetime ( p p p p p p p p p