Embryonic expression of a haematopoietic growth factor encoded by the Sl locus and the ligand for c-kit.
Mice carrying mutations at the W (Dominant white spotting) and Sl (Steel) loci develop abnormalities in three independent systems: neural crest-derived melanocytes, primordial germ cells and haematopoietic stem cells. Consequently, homozygotes of viable mutant alleles have white coats and are sterile and severely anaemic. Tissue recombination studies predict that the W gene is expressed cell autonomously, whereas the product of the Sl locus affects the microenvironment in which the stem cells migrate, proliferate and differentiate. The W locus encodes the protoncogene c-kit, a member of the tyrosine kinase receptor family. The haematopoietic growth factor SCF (stem cell factor) has been identified as the product of the Sl locus and a ligand for c-kit. Here, we report that SCF is expressed during embryogenesis in cells associated with both the migratory pathways and homing sites of melanoblasts, germ cells and haematopoietic stem cells. Both SCF and c-kit are also expressed in a variety of other tissues, including the brain and spinal cord, suggesting that the receptor-ligand system has additional roles in embryogenesis.
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- Yolk Sac
- Tissue Distribution
- Spinal Cord
- RNA
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins
- Nucleic Acid Hybridization
- Mice, Mutant Strains
- Mice
- Melanocytes
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Yolk Sac
- Tissue Distribution
- Spinal Cord
- RNA
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins
- Nucleic Acid Hybridization
- Mice, Mutant Strains
- Mice
- Melanocytes