  In this paper we investigate the following general problem. Let $G$ be a
group and let $i(G)$ be a property of $G$. Is there an integer $d$ such that
$G$ contains a $d$-generated subgroup $H$ with $i(H)=i(G)$? Here we consider
the case where $G$ is a profinite group and $H$ is a closed subgroup, extending
earlier work of Lucchini and others on finite groups. For example, we prove
that $d=3$ if $i(G)$ is the prime graph of $G$, which is best possible, and we
show that $d=2$ if $i(G)$ is the exponent of a finitely generated
prosupersolvable group $G$.
