Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.10.1 (ERK)
 95,504 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We studied cytokine-driven differentiation of primitive human CD34(+)HLA-DR(-) cells to myeloid dendritic cells (DC). Hemopoietic cells were grown in long-term cultures in the presence of various combinations of early acting cytokines such as FLT3-ligand (FLT3-L) and stem cell factor (SCF) and the differentiating growth factors GM-CSF and TNF-alpha. Two weeks of incubation with GM-CSF and TNF-alpha generated fully functional DC. However, clonogenic assays demonstrated that CFU-DC did not survive beyond 1 wk in liquid culture regardless of whether FLT3-L and/or SCF were added. FLT3-L or SCF alone did not support DC maturation. However, the combination of the two early acting cytokines allowed a 100-fold expansion of CFU-DC for >1 month. Phenotypic analysis demonstrated the differentiation of CD34(+)DR(-) cells into CD34(-)CD33(+)DR(+)CD14(+) cells, which were intermediate progenitors capable of differentiating into functionally active DC upon further incubation with GM-CSF and TNF-alpha. As expected, GM-CSF and TNF-alpha generated DC from committed CD34(+)DR(+) cells. However, only SCF, with or without FLT3-L, induced the expansion of DC precursors for >4 wk, as documented by secondary clonogenic assays. This demonstrates that although GM-CSF and TNF-alpha do not require additional cytokines to generate DC from primitive human CD34(+)DR(-) progenitor cells, they do force terminal differentiation of DC precursors. Conversely, FLT3-L and SCF do not directly affect DC differentiation, but instead sustain the long-term expansion of CFU-DC, which can be induced to produce mature DC by GM-CSF and TNF-alpha.
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PMID:Stem cell factor and FLT3-ligand are strictly required to sustain the long-term expansion of primitive CD34+DR- dendritic cell precursors. 1114 59

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. They are defined here as KIT (CD117, stem cell factor receptor)-positive mesenchymal spindle cell or epithelioid neoplasms primary in the GI tract, omentum, and mesentery. GISTs typically present in older individuals and are most common in the stomach (60-70%), followed by small intestine (20-25%), colon and rectum (5%), and esophagus (<5%). Benign tumors outnumber the malignant ones by a wide margin. Approximately 70% of GISTs are positive for CD34, 20-30% are positive for smooth muscle actin (SMA), 10% are positive for S100 protein and <5% are positive for desmin. The expression of CD34 and SMA is often reciprocal. GISTs commonly have activating mutations in exon 11 (or rarely exon 9 and exon 13) of the KIT gene that encodes a tyrosine kinase receptor for the growth factor named stem cell factor or mast cell growth factor. Ligand-independent activation of KIT appears to be a strong candidate for molecular pathogenesis of GISTs, and it may be a target for future treatment for such tumors. Other genetic changes in GISTs discovered using comparative genomic hybridization include losses in 14q and 22q in both benign and malignant GISTs and occurrence in various gains predominantly in malignant GISTs. GISTs have phenotypic similarities with the interstitial cells of Cajal and, therefore, a histogenetic origin from these cells has been suggested. An alternative possibility, origin of pluripotential stem cells, is also possible; this is supported by the same origin of Cajal cells and smooth muscle and by the common SMA expression in GISTs. GISTs differ clinically and pathogenetically from true leiomyosarcomas (very rare in the GI tract) and leiomyomas. The latter occur in the GI tract, predominantly in the esophagus (intramural tumors) and the colon and rectum (muscularis mucosae tumors). They also differ from schwannomas that are benign S100-positive spindle cell tumors usually presenting in the stomach. GI autonomic nerve tumors (GANTs) are probably a subset of GIST. Other mesenchymal tumors that have to be separated from GISTs include inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors in children, desmoid, and dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Angiosarcomas and metastatic melanomas, both of which are often KIT-positive, should not be confused with GISTs.
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PMID:Gastrointestinal stromal tumors--definition, clinical, histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular genetic features and differential diagnosis. 1121 30

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumours of the human gastrointestinal tract. Previous studies of GISTs found gain-of-function mutations of the c-kit gene, which encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT). All the mutations were confined to exon 11, which encodes the juxtamembrane domain. By further examination of the whole coding region of c-kit complementary DNA in 35 GISTs, two were found to show the identical mutation at exon 9, which encodes the extracellular domain. The aims of the present study were to examine the frequency of the extracellular domain mutation and to determine whether the mutation is a gain-of-function type or not. Genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues of 133 GISTs and exon 9 of the c-kit gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction. Screening of the mutation was carried out by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing was done. Mutant c-kit cDNA was transfected into 293T human embryonic kidney cells and the magnitude of autophosphorylation of the mutant KIT was examined with or without the ligand of KIT, stem cell factor (SCF). In total, seven GIST cases (approximately 5%) were found with the identical mutation at exon 9. The mutant KIT exhibited constitutive autophosphorylation without SCF stimulation. The prognosis of the patients with the extracellular domain mutation was comparable to that of the patients with the juxtamembrane domain mutation.
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PMID:Gain-of-function mutation at the extracellular domain of KIT in gastrointestinal stromal tumours. 1127 10

Systemic mastocytosis has one unifying feature: an unexplained and pathologic increase in mast cells in specific tissues. This observation, along with clinical disease heterogeneity has long suggested that mastocytosis is a disease of complex etiology. At the same time, the last decade has witnessed significant progress in identifying the critical elements that regulate mast cell growth and development. Human mast cells are now known to arise from CD34(+) progenitors, particularly under the influence of stem cell factor (SCF). This information in turn led to the critical observation that a substantial number of patients with mastocytosis exhibit activating mutations in c-kit, the receptor for SCF. And while this observation may well be key in understanding mastocytosis, this mutation alone does not explain all heterogeneity. It now appears that other influences such as genetic polymorphisms within the host may influence the course of disease in those with KIT mutations; and that the search for additional molecular events capable of creating disease diversity must continue.
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PMID:Mastocytosis: molecular mechanisms and clinical disease heterogeneity. 1137 83

The type III tyrosine kinase receptor c-KIT and its ligand stem cell factor (SCF; also known as KIT ligand, mast cell growth factor and steel factor) are closely involved in the regulation of a wide range of tissues at different stages of life. This review provides an outline of the discovery, structure and expression of SCF and c-KIT but concentrates on their respective roles in the regulation of human haemopoiesis and how this knowledge might be exploited in the clinical setting.
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PMID:Stem cell factor: biology and relevance to clinical practice. 1146 87

Stem cell factor (SCF) and endothelin 3 (EDN3) are both necessary for melanocyte development. We have established an immortal cell population of neural crest cells from C57BL/6 mice, cultivating them with SCF, EDN3 and 15% fetal calf serum without feeder cells, and have designated that line as C57NCC SE. C57NCC SE consists of a population of melanocytes in various stages of differentiation. We used a single-cell cloning method, in which only one cell is transferred to each new culture plate, and succeeded in establishing an immortal cell line named NCCmelan5. All NCCmelan5 cells were positive for KIT (SCF receptor), HMB45 (human melanosomal antigen), tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TYRP1), tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TYRP2), tyrosinase and endothelin receptor B (EDNRB) and all could oxidize 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) to form melanin. Measurement of their DNA content revealed that 88.6% of the cells were in the G0-G1 phase, suggesting that they retained normal DNA ploidy. Thus, NCCmelan5 cells have the characteristics of mature melanocytes except that they are immortal; these cells may prove useful to study factors that directly affect melanogenesis and melanocyte development without the influence of feeder cells. It is clear that our attempt to establish immortal cell lines from murine neural crest cells would have never been successful without the addition of SCF and EDN3, since C57NCC SE and NCCmelan5 cells require those factors to proliferate.
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PMID:Establishment and characterization of a mouse neural crest derived cell line (NCCmelan5). 1154 10

Ex vivo expansion is a new strategy for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell transplantation based on cytokine-induced amplification to produce grafts of controlled maturity. If the cell cycle position of CD34(+) cells has been reported to govern their engraftment potential, the respective role of stem and progenitor cells in short- and long-term hematopoietic recovery remains debated. Studies focused on long-term engraftment potential suggest impairment when using cultured grafts, but the capacity to sustain short-term recovery is still controverted. The aim of this study was: A) to evaluate the consequences of cell cycle activation on short and long-term engraftment capacity, and B) to determine if cell cycle status of grafts could predict hematopoietic recovery. We showed in a nonhuman primate model of autologous peripheral blood stem and progenitor cell transplantation that cell cycle activation of CD34(+) cells in the presence of stem cell factor + FLT3-ligand + thrombopoietin + interleukin 3 (six days of culture) which induced G1 and S/G2/M cell amplification (G0: 6.1% +/- 2.8%; G0/G1: 64.2% +/- 7.2%; S/G2/M: 30.4% +/- 7.3% respectively of expanded CD34(+) cells on average) resulted in the acceleration of short-term granulocyte recovery. By contrast, G0/G1 and S/G2/M cell content of expanded grafts did not correlate with short- or long-term engraftment.
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PMID:Cell cycle activation of peripheral blood stem and progenitor cells expanded ex vivo with SCF, FLT-3 ligand, TPO, and IL-3 results in accelerated granulocyte recovery in a baboon model of autologous transplantation but G0/G1 and S/G2/M graft cell content does not correlate with transplantability. 1155 52

Erythropoiesis results from the proliferation and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into immature erythroid progenitors (ie, erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-Es), whose growth, survival, and terminal differentiation depends on erythropoietin (Epo). Ineffective erythropoiesis is a common feature of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We used a 2-step liquid-culture procedure to study erythropoiesis in MDS. CD34(+) cells from the marrow of patients with MDS were cultured for 10 days in serum-containing medium with Epo, stem cell factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, and steroid hormones until they reached the proerythroblast stage. The cells were then placed in medium containing Epo and insulin for terminal erythroid differentiation. Numbers of both MDS and normal control cells increased 10(3) fold by day 15. However, in semisolid culture, cells from patients with refractory anemia (RA) with ringed sideroblasts and RA or RA with excess of blasts produced significantly fewer BFU-Es than cells from controls. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of interphase nuclei from patients with chromosomal defects indicated that abnormal clones were expanded in vitro. Epo-signaling pathways (STAT5, Akt, and ERK 1/2) were normally activated in MDS erythroid progenitors. In contrast, apoptosis was significantly increased in MDS cells once they differentiated, whereas it remained low in normal cells. Fas was overexpressed on freshly isolated MDS CD34(+) cells and on MDS erythroid cells throughout the culture. Apoptosis coincided with overproduction of Fas ligand during the differentiation stage and was inhibited by Fas-Fc chimeric protein. Thus, MDS CD34(+)-derived erythroid progenitors proliferated normally in our 2-step liquid culture with Epo but underwent abnormal Fas-dependent apoptosis during differentiation that could be responsible for the impaired erythropoiesis.
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PMID:In vitro proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitors from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: evidence for Fas-dependent apoptosis. 1186 Dec 73

Mast cells are thought to participate in a variety of immune responses, such as parasite resistance and the allergic reaction. Mast cell development depends on stem cell factor (Kit ligand) and its receptor, c-Kit. Gab2 is an adaptor molecule containing a pleckstrin homology domain and potential binding sites for SH2 and SH3 domains. Gab2 is phosphorylated on tyrosine after stimulation with cytokines and growth factors, including KitL. Gab2-deficient mice were created to define the physiological requirement for Gab2 in KitL/c-Kit signaling and mast cell development. In Gab2-deficient mice, the number of mast cells was reduced markedly in the stomach and less severely in the skin. Bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) from the Gab2-deficient mice grew poorly in response to KitL. KitL-induced ERK MAP kinase and Akt activation were impaired in Gab2-deficient BMMCs. These data indicate that Gab2 is required for mast cell development and KitL/c-Kit signaling.
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PMID:Requirement of Gab2 for mast cell development and KitL/c-Kit signaling. 1186 9

Stem cell factor is essential to the migration and differentiation of melanocytes during embryogenesis based on the observation that mutations in either the stem cell factor gene, or its ligand, KIT, result in defects in coat pigmentation in mice. Stem cell factor is also required for the survival of melanocyte precursors while they are migrating towards the skin. Transforming growth factor beta1 has been implicated in the regulation of both cellular proliferation and differentiation. NCC-melb4, an immortal cloned cell line, was cloned from a mouse neural crest cell. NCC-melb4 cells provide a model to study the specific stage of differentiation and proliferation of melanocytes. They also express KIT as a melanoblast marker. Using the NCC-melb4 cell line, we investigated the effect of transforming growth factor beta1 on the differentiation and proliferation of immature melanocyte precursors. Immunohistochemically, NCC-melb4 cells showed transforming growth factor beta1 expression. The anti-transforming growth factor beta1 antibody inhibited the cell growth, and downregulated the KIT protein and mRNA expression. To investigate further the activation of autocrine transforming growth factor beta1, NCC-melb4 cells were incubated in nonexogenous transforming growth factor beta1 culture medium. KIT protein decreased with anti-transforming growth factor beta1 antibody concentration in a concentration-dependent manner. We concluded that in NCC-melb4 cells, transforming growth factor beta1 promotes melanocyte precursor proliferation in autocrine and/or paracrine regulation. We further investigated the influence of transforming growth factor beta1 in vitro using a neural crest cell primary culture system from wild-type mice. Anti-transforming growth factor beta1 antibody decreased the number of KIT positive neural crest cell. In addition, the anti-transforming growth factor beta1 antibody supplied within the wild-type neural crest explants abolished the growth of the neural crest cell. These results indicate that transforming growth factor beta1 affect melanocyte precursor proliferation and differentiation in the presence of stem cell factor/KIT in an autocrine/paracrine manner.
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PMID:Transforming growth factor beta1 regulates melanocyte proliferation and differentiation in mouse neural crest cells via stem cell factor/KIT signaling. 1187 86


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