IGF research 2016–2018.

This article is based on my presentation at the 9th International Congress of the Growth Hormone Research and Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) Societies at Seattle, USA on 17th, September 2018. In the article, after a general introduction to IGF research, I briefly review the IGF research being published from 2016 to 2018, focusing on what I believe represent the most interesting areas of progress. These areas include ligands of the IGF-I receptor, ligand binding to the IGF-I receptor, long-term signaling through the IGF-I receptor, intracellular organelles where IGF signals are transmitted, and novel functions of the IGFBPs. Lastly, I discuss future directions of IGF research from my point of view. • Viral insulin-like peptides are members of the insulin/IGF superfamily. • Structural biology research showed how ligands bind to the IGF-I receptor. • IRS-1 acts as an endocytic regulator of IGF-I receptor to facilitate sustained IGF signaling. • IGF signaling is essential for mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy in cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]