CD117

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

v-kit Hardy-Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog
Identifiers
Symbol	KIT
HUGO	6342
Entrez	3815
OMIM	164920
RefSeq	NM_000222
UniProt	P10721
Other data
Locus	Chr. 4 q11-q12

This CD molecule is the membrane receptor for stem cell factor (SCF), also known as "steel factor" or "c-kit ligand". Steel factor is a polypeptide that activates bone marrow precursors of a number of blood cells, but its receptor is also present on other cells. C-kit mutations in the interstitial cells of Cajal in the digestive tract are probably the key to gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and explain the efficacy of imatinib in the management of these rare malignancies.

Cluster of differentiation (CD) molecules are markers on the cell surface, as recognized by specific sets of antibodies, used to identify the cell type, stage of differentiation and activity of a cell.

[edit] See also

• tyrosine kinase

[edit] External links

• MeSH Proto-Oncogene+Proteins+c-kit