The c-Kit (CD117) proto-oncogene is a 145 kD receptor tyrosine kinase family closely related to platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR). It is a transmembrane receptor and the cellular homolog of the HZ4-feline sarcoma virus transforming gene (v-Kit). c-Kit is expressed on hematopoietic stem cells (multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, myeloid and/or erythroid lineage progenitors, and T-and B- cell precursors), mast cells, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. c-Kit regulates a variety of biological responses such as chemotaxis, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and adhesion. Mutations in c-Kit have been implicated in tumor growth and progression in various cancers. In mice, because c-Kit is identical to the W locus protein, it is integral to mast cell development and hematopoiesis. The c-Kit receptor (KL) ligand has been identified and is encoded by the murine steel (SI) locus.
Studies with the c-Kit antibody from Stanford found that Kit receptor-steel factor interactions were not essential for hematopoietic initiation and self-renewal of fetal stem cells (HSCs)1. Regenerative studies in Zhao’s lab relied upon the c-Kit antibody to follow the role of cardiac telocytes (CTs) in myocardial infarctions2. Those researchers found that the telocytes, through secreted factors and microvesicles, manipulate the microenvironment to help structurally maintain myocardium integrity. In a follow-up study, the same group also used the c-Kit antibody to provide evidence that CT transplantation, either alone or in tandem with stem cells, is a viable therapeutic solution3. In a very recent publication, Li’s group also employed the c-Kit antibody to study telocytes of renal origin4. This group was interested in examining how renal telocytes enable repair in renal tubules damaged by ischaemia-reperfusion (IRI), and found this process to be inflammation-independent. The c-Kit antibody allowed Zhang et al to profile the dynamic transcriptional and translational changes in c-Kit expression during spermatogenesis5.
Novus Biologicals offers c-Kit reagents for your research needs including:
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