Cloning and expression of the chicken c-kit proto-oncogene.

The Kit protein is a cell-surface tyrosine kinase receptor encoded by the c-kit proto-oncogene. cDNA clones encoding chicken Kit were isolated from a chicken brain cDNA library, and the nucleotide (nt) sequence of a cDNA clone containing the entire protein-coding region was determined. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of chicken Kit shows 63% identity to mouse Kit, and suggests that chicken Kit shares common structural and functional features with mouse Kit. RNA blot analysis indicated that the expression pattern of the chicken c-kit transcript in chicken organs was similar to that of mouse c-kit in mice, suggesting that chicken Kit has biological roles analogous to those of mouse Kit.