Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sensory Organs, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy.
Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Istituto Tumori Giovanni Paolo II, Bari, Italy.
Front Immunol. 2022 Jan 24;13:794974. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.794974. eCollection 2022.
c-Kit, or mast/stem cell growth factor receptor Kit, is a tyrosine kinase receptor structurally analogous to the colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) CSF-1/PDGF receptor Tyr-subfamily. It binds the cytokine KITLG/SCF to regulate cell survival and proliferation, hematopoiesis, stem cell maintenance, gametogenesis, mast cell development, migration and function, and it plays an essential role in melanogenesis. SCF and c-Kit are biologically active as membrane-bound and soluble forms. They can be expressed by tumor cells and cells of the microenvironment playing a crucial role in tumor development, progression, and relapses. To date, few investigations have concerned the role of SCF/c-Kit mast cells in normal, premalignant, and malignant skin lesions that resemble steps of malignant melanoma progression. In this study, by immunolabeling reactions, we demonstrated that in melanoma lesions, SCF and c-Kit were expressed in mast cells and released by themselves, suggesting an autocrine/paracrine loop might be implicated in regulatory mechanisms of neoangiogenesis and tumor progression in human melanoma.
c-Kit，或 mast/stem 细胞生长因子受体 Kit，是一种结构上类似于集落刺激因子-1（CSF-1）和血小板衍生生长因子（PDGF）CSF-1/PDGF 受体 Tyr 亚家族的酪氨酸激酶受体。它结合细胞因子 KITLG/SCF 来调节细胞存活和增殖、造血、干细胞维持、配子发生、肥大细胞发育、迁移和功能，并在黑色素生成中发挥重要作用。SCF 和 c-Kit 以膜结合和可溶性形式具有生物活性。它们可以由肿瘤细胞和微环境细胞表达，在肿瘤的发展、进展和复发中起着至关重要的作用。迄今为止，很少有研究涉及 SCF/c-Kit 肥大细胞在正常、癌前和恶性皮肤病变中的作用，这些病变类似于恶性黑色素瘤进展的步骤。在这项研究中，通过免疫标记反应，我们证明在黑色素瘤病变中，SCF 和 c-Kit 表达在肥大细胞中，并由自身释放，提示自分泌/旁分泌环可能参与人黑色素瘤中新血管生成和肿瘤进展的调节机制。
