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Query: UNIPROT:P10721 (c-kit)
 6,575 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A number of growth factors have been described that affect the hematopoietic system. Among this group are Steel factor (also known as mast cell growth factor, stem cell factor and kit ligand), and the more recently described flt3 ligand. These factors have been shown to function by binding to and activating the c-kit and flt3 tyrosine kinase receptors, respectively. Both of these factors stimulate the growth of mouse and human hematopoietic progenitor cells. These factors therefore differ from such later acting hematopoietic factors as colony-stimulating factor (CSF)-1, which regulates the growth, survival and differentiation of monocytic cells through the c-fms tyrosine kinase receptor. Like Steel factor, the flt3 ligand has little biological activity on its own, but synergizes well with a number of other colony stimulating factors and interleukins. One major difference between the two factors appears to be their effect on mast cells. Steel factor stimulates both the proliferation and activation of mast cells, while preliminary data with the flt3 ligand suggests that it has no effect on mast cells. Although the flt3 ligand and Steel factor each act on early hematopoietic cells, differences in their activities suggest that they are not redundant and are both required for normal hematopoiesis.
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PMID:The flt3 ligand: a hematopoietic stem cell factor whose activities are distinct from steel factor. 753 49

A ligand for the tyrosine kinase receptor flt3/flk-2, referred to here as flt3 ligand (flt3L), was recently cloned. The effect of flt3L on purified human CD34+ progenitor cells was examined. flt3 receptor (flt3R) was detected on the surface of human bone marrow cells that were enriched for CD34 expression. The effects of flt3L and the c-kit ligand Steel factor (SLF) on hematopoietic progenitors were compared in clonal colony assays. Both factors synergized with Pixy321 (interleukin-3 [IL-3]-granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor fusion protein) to induce granulocytic-monocytic (GM) and high proliferative potential (HPP) colonies and synergized with Pixy321 + erythropoietin (EPO) to induce multipotent granulocytic-erythroid-monocytic-megakaryocytic colonies. Although SLF had a potent effect on colony formation of erythroid restricted progenitor cells (burst-forming unit-erythroid), no effect by flt3L was observed. The addition of flt3L to irradiated long-term marrow cultures seeded with CD34+ cells augmented both total and progenitor cell production. Ex vivo expansion studies with isolated CD34+ bone marrow cells from normal donors showed that flt3L alone supported maintenance of both GM and HPP progenitors for 3 to 4 weeks in vitro. The addition of flt3L to a growth factor combination of IL-1 alpha + IL-3 + IL-6 + EPO resulted in a synergistic effect on progenitor cell expansion comparable to that observed with the addition of SLF to IL-1 alpha + IL-3 + IL-6 + EPO. These data show a function for flt3L in the regulation of both primitive multipotent and lineage-committed hematopoietic progenitor cells.
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PMID:Effect of flt3 ligand on the ex vivo expansion of human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. 757 45

The FLT3/FLK2 receptor tyrosine kinase is closely related to two receptors, c-Kit and c-Fms, which function with their respective ligands, Kit ligand and macrophage colony-stimulating factor to control differentiation of haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic cells. FLT3/FLK2 is thought to be present on haematopoietic stem cells and found in brain, placenta and testis. We have purified to homogeneity and partially sequenced a soluble form of the FLT3/FLK2 ligand produced by mouse thymic stromal cells. We isolated several mouse and human complementary DNAs that encode polypeptides with identical N termini and different C termini. Some variants contain hydrophobic transmembrane segments, suggesting that processing may be required to release soluble ligand. The purified ligand enhances the response of mouse stem cells and a primitive human progenitor cell population to other growth factors such as interleukins IL-3 and IL-6 and to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and also stimulates fetal thymocytes.
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PMID:Ligand for FLT3/FLK2 receptor tyrosine kinase regulates growth of haematopoietic stem cells and is encoded by variant RNAs. 814 51

Flt3 is a class III tyrosine kinase receptor expressed on primitive human and murine hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). In previous studies using stroma-free short term assays, Flt3 ligand (FL) has been shown to induce proliferation of HPC at proportions similar to or less than c-kit ligand (steel factor, SF). Using long term stromal cocultivation assays, we studied the effects of FL on proliferation and differentiation of a highly primitive and cytokine nonresponsive subpopulation of human HPC, CD34+cd38- cells. Cell Proliferation was significantly greater with FL than with SF, when used individually or in combinations with interleukin-3 (IL-3) and/or IL-6. The effect of FL was greater on bone marrow (BM) CD34+CD38- cells than the more cytokine responsive cord blood CD34+CD38- cells. Little or no effect was seen with FL on more mature CD34+CD38+ cells from either BM or cord blood. The frequency of colony-forming units (CFU) and high proliferative potential-colony forming cells (HPP-CFC) during early culture ( < or = 30 days) was increased by both SF and FL to similar levels. However, in the LTC-IC period (35 to 60 days) and extended long-term culture initiating cell (ELTC-IC) period ( > 60 days), the frequency of CFU and HPP-CFC was significantly greater in cultures containing FL than those without FL (P < .0025). Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis of cultures after 21 days showed a significantly higher percentage of cells remained CD34+ in the combination of FL, IL-3, IL-6, and SF (F/3/6/S) than in 3/6/S (0.78% +/- 0.52% v 0.21% +/- 0.29% respectively, mean +/- SD). Cloning efficiency of BM CD34+CD38- cells was significantly increased by the addition of FL to the combination of 3/6/S (mean 11.7% v 0.5%, P < .0001). These data show that FL is able to induce proliferation of CD34+CD38-cells that are nonresponsive to other early acting cytokines and to improve the maintenance of progenitors in vitro.
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PMID:Flt3 ligand induces proliferation of quiescent human bone marrow CD34+CD38- cells and maintains progenitor cells in vitro. 861 78

The human homolog of the murine flt3/flk2 gene product is a tyrosine kinase receptor that plays a role in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of cells in the hematopoietic system. Using a plasma-clot clonal assay and a long-term bone marrow culture (LTBMC) system, we studied the effects of the recently cloned human flt3 ligand (FL) alone and in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), or stem cell factor (c-kit ligand [KL]) on human megakaryocytopoiesis. The effects of FL on the primitive megakaryocyte (MK) progenitor cell, the burst-forming unit-megakaryocyte (BFU-MK), and the more differentiated colony-forming unit-megakaryocyte (CFU-MK) were determined. FL alone had no megakaryocytic colony-stimulating activity (MK-CSA), but was capable of augmenting the MK-CSA of both GM-CSF and IL-3. FL synergized with IL-3 at the level of both CFU-MK and BFU-MK and with GM-CSF and KL at the level of CFU-MK. Although FL alone exhibited a limited potential in sustaining long-term megakaryocytopoiesis in vitro, it synergistically augmented the ability of IL-3 and KL, alone or in association, to promote long-term megakaryocytopoiesis. These data indicate that multiple cytokines are necessary to optimally stimulate the proliferation of both classes of MK progenitor cells and that FL plays a significant role in this process by amplifying the MK-CSA of GM-CSF, IL-3, and KL.
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PMID:The effects of human FLT3 ligand on in vitro human megakaryocytopoiesis. 864 63

We have performed a comprehensive analysis of cell lines and tissues to compare and contrast the expression patterns of Flt3 ligand (FL), c-Kit ligand (KL), and macrophage colony-stimulating factor as well as their receptors, Flt3, c-Kit, and c-Fms. The message for FL is unusually ubiquitous, whereas that of its receptor is quite restricted, apparently limiting the function of the ligand to fetal development and early hematopoiesis. We have also sequenced a mouse FL genomic clone, revealing how the three splice variant FL mRNAs that we have isolated arise. The chromosomal location of the FL gene has been mapped, by in situ hybridization, to chromosome 7 in mouse and chromosome 19 in human. Natural FL protein has been purified from a stromal cell line and shown to be a 65 kD nondisulfide-linked homodimeric glycoprotein comprised of 30 kD subunits, each containing 12 kD of N- and O-linked sugars. Pulse-chase experiments show that one of the splice variants (T110) is responsible for producing the bulk of soluble FL, but only after it has first been expressed at the cell surface as a membrane-bound form. The other splice-variant forms produce molecules that are either obligatorily soluble (T169) or membrane-bound but released only very slowly (T118). Finally, even though most cell lines express some amount of FL mRNA, we found that very little FL protein is actually made, with T cells and stromal cells being the major producers. The data suggests that FL plays its roles over very short distances, perhaps requiring cell-cell contact.
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PMID:Biochemical and genetic characterization of multiple splice variants of the Flt3 ligand. 889 2

We have evaluated the expression of growth factor receptors (GFRs) on early hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) purified from human adult peripheral blood and induced in liquid suspension culture to unilineage differentiation/maturation through the erythroid (E), granulocytic (G), megakaryocytic (Mk), or monocytic (Mo) lineage. The receptors for basic fibroblast GF (bFGF), erythropoietin (Epo), thrombopoietin (Tpo), and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF) have been only assayed at mRNA level; the majority of GFRs have been evaluated by both mRNA and protein analyses: the expression patterns were consistent at both levels. In quiescent HPCs the receptors for early-acting [flt3 ligand (FL), c-kit ligand (KL), bFGF, interleukin-6 (IL-6)] and multilineage [IL-3, granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF)] HGFs are expressed at significant levels but with different patterns, eg, kit and flt3 are detected on a majority and minority of HPCs, respectively, whereas IL-3Rs and GM-CSFRs are present on almost all HPCs. In the four differentiation pathways, expression of early-acting receptors shows a progressive decrease, more rapidly for bFGFR-1 and flt3 than for c-kit; furthermore, c-kit is more slowly downmodulated in the E and Mk than the G and Mo lineages. As a partial exception, IL-6Rs are still detected through the early or late stages of maturation in the Mk and Mo lineages, respectively. IL-3R expression is progressively and rapidly downmodulated in both E and Mk pathways, whereas it moderately decreases in the Mo lineage and is sustained in the G series. The expression of GM-CSFR is gradually downmodulated in all differentiation pathways, ie, the receptor density markedly decreases but late erythroblasts are still partially GM-CSFR+ and terminal G, Mk and Mo cells are essentially GM-CSFR+. Expression of receptors for late-acting cytokines is lineage-specific. Thus, EpoR, G-CSFR, TpoR, and M-CSFR exhibit a gradual induction followed by a sustained expression in the E, G, MK, and Mo lineages, respectively. In the other differentiation pathways the expression of these receptors is either absent or initially low and there-after suppressed. These observations are compatible with the following multi-step model. (1) The early-acting GFRs are expressed on quiescent HPCs with different patterns, whereas the multilineage GFRs are present on > or = 90% to 95% HPCs. (2) Multilineage GFs, potentiated by early-acting HGFs, trigger HPCs into cycling. HPC proliferation/differentiation is followed by declining expression of the early-acting GFRs and in part of multilineage GFRs (see above). (3) Multilineage GFs trigger the expression of the unilineage GFRs (see Testa U, et al: Blood 81:1442, 1993). Interaction of each unilineage GF with its receptor leads to sustained expression of the receptor (possibly via transcription factors activating the receptor promoter) and thus mediates differentiation/maturation through the pertinent lineage.
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PMID:Expression of growth factor receptors in unilineage differentiation culture of purified hematopoietic progenitors. 889 4

Dendritic cells (DC) are the most efficient APC for T cells. The clinical use of DC as vectors for anti-tumor and infectious disease immunotherapy has been limited by their trace levels and accessibility in normal tissue and terminal state of differentiation. In the present study, daily injection of human Flt3 ligand (Flt3L) into mice results in a dramatic numerical increase in cells co-expressing the characteristic DC markers-class II MHC, CD11c, DEC205, and CD86. In contrast, in mice treated with either GM-CSF, GM-CSF plus IL-4, c-kit ligand (c-kitL), or G-CSF, class II+ CD11c+ cells were not significantly increased. Five distinct DC subpopulations were identified in the spleen of Flt3L-treated mice using CD8 alpha and CD11b expression. These cells exhibited veiled and dendritic processes and were as efficient as rare, mature DC isolated from the spleens of untreated mice at presenting allo-Ag or soluble Ag to T cells, or in priming an Ag-specific T cell response in vivo. Dramatic numerical increases in DC were detected in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal lymphoid tissue (GALT), liver, lymph nodes, lung, peripheral blood, peritoneal cavity, spleen, and thymus. These results suggest that Flt3L could be used to expand the numbers of functionally mature DC in vivo for use in clinical immunotherapy.
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PMID:Dramatic increase in the numbers of functionally mature dendritic cells in Flt3 ligand-treated mice: multiple dendritic cell subpopulations identified. 892 Aug 82

Developments in the characterization of growth factors and the recognition of their potential for clinical use has advanced through a number of stages. The development of clonogenic haemopoietic colony assays in the 1960s led to the discovery of colony-stimulating activity in the conditioned medium produced by certain cell lines. This activity was then purified and the colony-stimulating factors were identified. With rapid progress in molecular biology techniques in the 1980s, many further growth factors were cloned and produced on an industrial scale. Although erythropoietin, interferons, G-CSF, GM-CSF and IL-2 were all introduced into clinical practice as single agents, cytokines have more recently been investigated for use either in combination, or sequentially. Clinical trials are currently in progress to examine the optimum combinations and timing of administration. Current clinical applications include optimization of methods for mobilization of peripheral blood progenitor cells and amelioration of cytopenias following chemotherapy and bone-marrow transplantation. In the future, cytokines will be employed to expand stem and progenitor cells ex vivo, to improve gene transduction strategies, possibly to protect the gastrointestinal epithelium and as immunomodulators, both in vivo and in vitro. This review will focus on recently characterized growth factors including c-kit ligand/stem cell factor, flt3 ligand, c-mpl ligand/thrombopoietin and interleukins-11, 4, 7, 10, 12 and 13.
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PMID:Cytokines at the research-clinical interface: potential applications. 893 32

The Flk-2/flt3 ligand (FL) was evaluated and compared with c-kit ligand (KL) for its in vitro proliferative effects on CD34+ cells from human fetal liver, umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, and mobilized peripheral blood. Using a 7-day liquid culture system, FL in combination with interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was comparable with KL in combination with IL-3, IL-6, and G-CSF for the expansion of hematopoietic progenitors. When FL-containing cultures were assayed after 21 or 28 days, a greater number of progenitors were generated as compared with KL-containing cultures. Using bone marrow microvascular endothelial cells as support stroma, cultures supplemented with FL generated a greater number of progenitors in both the nonadherent and adherent layers at day 35. These data suggest that FL ligand, in combination with other cytokines, can be used for short-term ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic progenitors and facilitates the preservation and possible expansion of primitive cells capable of long-term generation of progenitors.
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PMID:The effects of Flk-2/flt3 ligand as compared with c-kit ligand on short-term and long-term proliferation of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors elicited from human fetal liver, umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, and mobilized peripheral blood. 911 54


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