| First Author | Matsui Y | Year | 1990 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 347 |
| Issue | 6294 | Pages | 667-9 |
| PubMed ID | 1699134 | Mgi Jnum | J:10776 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:59221 | Doi | 10.1038/347667a0 |
| Citation | Matsui Y, et al. (1990) Embryonic expression of a haematopoietic growth factor encoded by the Sl locus and the ligand for c-kit. Nature 347(6294):667-9 |
| abstractText | 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. |
