Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P15088 (mast cell)
 14,925 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Mechanisms affecting mast cell and melanocyte growth and function are still poorly understood. This report summarizes the current state of knowledge on a recently described growth factor for both these cell types and for primitive haematopoietic stem cells. Stem cell factor (SCF), also named mast cell growth factor or kit-ligand, has only recently been cloned and has been shown to be encoded on human chromosome 12. It may be of specific importance in cutaneous physiology and pathology since it is produced by several cell types in the skin (e.g. fibroblasts, keratinocytes, endothelial cells) and since it affects melanocyte and mast cell growth, survival, secretion and adhesion as well as migration into tissues. Defects in the genes encoding for the SCF receptor (c-kit-protein) have been shown to be responsible for human piebaldism. A pathogenetic role in mastocytosis has recently been proposed, but remains to be proven. SCF receptor expression is decreased on cells of some malignant cell lines compared to their physiological counterparts, making it unlikely that SCF is a key factor in malignant transformation and cellular hyperproliferation. In haematopoiesis, SCF acts primarily in concert with other growth factors, and we show here that alone in serum-free culture it has no effect on mast cell growth. Furthermore, there is evidence that besides SCF, additional mast cell growth factors are secreted by fibroblasts and keratinocytes, suggesting a complex orchestration of several growth factors in the regulation of cutaneous growth and differentiation in which SCF plays only one part.
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PMID:Stem cell factor, a novel cutaneous growth factor for mast cells and melanocytes. 753 33

HIKE is a highly conserved sequence motif identified as a candidate pleckstrin-homology (PH) domain binding site in Gbeta proteins, protein kinases, ankyrin and kinesin. HIKE motifs occur also in gelsolin, neurogranin, neuromodulin and in the PH domain of Bruton tyrosin kinase (BTK). Phosphatidylinositol-binding sequences more distantly related to HIKE are present in gelsolin, in the G protein-coupled receptor kinase 4 and in Trop-2. HIKE regions have been demonstrated to bind both proteins and lipids, and to regulate the interaction of Gbeta, neuromodulin and the BTK PH domain with downstream effectors and the cell membrane. Remarkably, mutations of the HIKE regions are common in diverse human genetic diseases. Several HIKE mutations in protein kinases lead to constitutive activation and cellular transformation, e.g. in MEN-2B, acute myeloid and mast cell leukemias, hereditary papillary renal carcinomas and multiple myeloma. Kinase-inactivating HIKE mutations cause Hirschsprung's disease, piebaldism, insulin resistance and developmental dysplasias. HIKE mutations in the PH domain of BTK lead to X-linked agammaglobulinemia, and different forms of amyloidosis are caused by mutations of HIKE-bearing molecules, for example gelsolin, Ret and Trop-2. Thus, quite diverse genetic diseases might share common molecular mechanisms. These include altered interactions of the mutated molecules with downstream effectors or the cell membrane, and defects in intracellular transport.
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PMID:Large and diverse numbers of human diseases with HIKE mutations. 1076 24

Manipulation of the mouse genome has emerged as an important approach for studying gene function and establishing human disease models. In this study, the mouse mutants were generated through N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced mutagenesis in C57BL/6J mice. The screening for dominant mutations yielded several mice with fur color abnormalities. One of them causes a phenotype similar to that shown by dominant-white spotting (W) allele mutants. This strain was named Wads because the homozygous mutant mice are white color, anemic, deaf, and sterile. The new mutation was mapped to 42 cM on chromosome five, where proto-oncogene c-kit resides. Sequence analysis of c-kit cDNA from Wads(m/m) revealed a unique T-to-C transition mutation that resulted in Phe-to-Ser substitution at amino acid 856 within a highly conserved tyrosine kinase domain. Compared with other c-kit mutants, Wads may present a novel loss-of-function or hypomorphic mutation. In addition to the examination of adult phenotypes in hearing loss, anemia, and mast cell deficiency, we also detected some early developmental defects during germ cell differentiation in the testis and ovary of neonatal Wads(m/m) mice. Therefore, the Wads mutant may serve as a new disease model of human piebaldism, anemia, deafness, sterility, and mast cell diseases.
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PMID:Identification of a novel point mutation of mouse proto-oncogene c-kit through N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis. 1573 17

KIT is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is functionally relevant for hematopoiesis, mast cell development and function, gametogenesis and melanogenesis. Normal KIT signaling requires binding to stem cell factor, and PI3K-Akt is one of the putative effector pathways. In humans, germline loss-of-function KIT mutations have been associated with piebaldism - an autosomal dominant condition characterized by depigmented patches of skin and hair. Gain-of-function KIT mutations are usually acquired and have been associated with myeloid malignancies including core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia and systemic mastocytosis (SM), germ cell tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors and sinonasal T cell lymphomas. KITD816V is the most prevalent KIT mutation in mast cell disease and occurs in more than 90% of the cases that fulfill the World Health Organization diagnostic criteria for SM. However, its precise pathogenetic contribution is not well understood. In clinical practice, SM is considered either indolent or aggressive depending on the respective absence or presence of symptomatic target organ dysfunction aside from skin disease. In general, conventional therapy for SM is suboptimal, and efforts are under way to develop and employ small molecule drugs that target mutant KIT.
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PMID:KIT and mastocytosis. 1856 36