Affinage

KIT

Mast/stem cell growth factor receptor Kit · UniProt P10721

Length
976 aa
Mass
109.9 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
100 papers in source corpus 19 papers cited in narrative 19 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 7/7 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

KIT (c-Kit/CD117) is a transmembrane glycoprotein receptor tyrosine kinase that transduces signals from its ligand SCF (stem cell factor) to control survival, proliferation, migration, and differentiation across hematopoietic, germ, mast, cardiac, and visceral smooth-muscle lineages (PMID:2463468, PMID:1711568, PMID:10582339). SCF binding drives rapid receptor homodimerization, an event sufficient by itself to trigger mitogenic signaling, as shown by chemically enforced dimerization of the c-kit cytoplasmic domain (PMID:9446650, PMID:9446649); dimerization activates autophosphorylation and downstream effectors including PI3-kinase, Src-family kinases, JAK/STAT, and the Ras-Raf-MAPK cascade (PMID:10582339). The degree of dimerization sets signaling amplitude and cell-type selectivity, such that a biased SCF agonist impairing dimerization preferentially activates hematopoietic progenitors over mast cells (PMID:28283060). Distinct effector arms serve distinct outputs: PI3-kinase activation is specifically required for DNA synthesis in differentiating spermatogonia (PMID:11079457), while Src recruitment—but not PI3-kinase—drives lipid-raft- and dynamin-dependent receptor internalization into the endosomal/proteasomal degradation pathway, after which the receptor is not recycled but replaced by new synthesis (PMID:9446650, PMID:12085229, PMID:29127384). KIT signaling is essential for intramarrow hematopoiesis and progenitor self-renewal (PMID:1711568), mast cell chemotaxis and integrin-mediated adhesion to fibronectin (PMID:1371080, PMID:7509207), oocyte growth (PMID:7507447), and ureteral peristalsis (PMID:15592099). Gain-of-function mutations such as the kinase-domain D816H found in seminomas confer constitutive, ligand-independent kinase activity (PMID:10362788). In mast cells, c-kit transcription is maintained by a GATA2-Sp1 complex acting at a promoter GC-box (PMID:20833840).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 14 steps
  1. 1988 High

    Establishing that the c-kit proto-oncogene product is itself a tyrosine kinase defined the molecular nature of the receptor and the basis for all downstream signaling.

    Evidence Immune complex kinase and autophosphorylation assays on the glycosylated transmembrane product

    PMID:2463468

    Open questions at the time
    • Ligand and physiological substrates not defined here
    • No structural model of the kinase domain
  2. 1991 High

    In vivo antibody blockade showed KIT is required for adult hematopoiesis, moving the receptor from a biochemical entity to an essential regulator of progenitor maintenance.

    Evidence Antagonistic anti-c-kit mAb (ACK2) injection with colony-forming and flow cytometry readouts in mouse bone marrow

    PMID:1711568

    Open questions at the time
    • Downstream effectors of progenitor self-renewal not mapped
    • Acute depletion vs developmental requirement not distinguished
  3. 1992 High

    Kinase-dead (W42) epistasis demonstrated that SCF-driven mast cell chemotaxis depends specifically on c-kit catalytic activity, separating KIT-dependent from IL-3-dependent motility.

    Evidence Chemotaxis assays comparing wild-type and W42 kinase-dead mast cells

    PMID:1371080

    Open questions at the time
    • Cytoskeletal effectors linking KIT to directional migration not identified
  4. 1994 High

    Parallel studies extended SCF/KIT function to oocyte growth and to integrin-mediated mast cell adhesion, showing that kinase activity couples KIT to both proliferation and adhesion programs.

    Evidence Oocyte culture with ACK2/genistein blockade and direct kinase assay; fibronectin/vitronectin adhesion assays with W kinase mutants and VLA-5 blocking antibodies

    PMID:7507447 PMID:7509207

    Open questions at the time
    • Signaling intermediates between KIT and VLA-5 activation not resolved
    • Membrane-anchored vs soluble SCF signaling differences only partially defined
  5. 1998 High

    FRET detection of SCF-induced dimerization and chemical dimerizer reconstitution together established receptor dimerization as the necessary and sufficient trigger for KIT mitogenic signaling.

    Evidence FRET flow cytometry on hematopoietic cells with cytokine controls; FKBP12-c-kit chimera dimerized by FK1012/AP1510 in Ba/F3 proliferation assay

    PMID:9446649 PMID:9446650

    Open questions at the time
    • Stoichiometry and conformational basis of activation not defined
    • Mechanism of Epo/c-kit cross-talk unresolved
  6. 1999 High

    Identification of a constitutively activating D816H kinase-domain mutation in germ cell tumors linked KIT gain-of-function directly to neoplasia.

    Evidence Tumor sequencing plus transfection of mutant c-kit and tyrosine phosphorylation assay

    PMID:10362788

    Open questions at the time
    • Differential effector engagement by D816 mutants vs wild-type not addressed
    • Tumorigenic sufficiency in vivo not tested here
  7. 1999 Medium

    Synthesis of biochemical studies placed KIT upstream of PI3-kinase, Src, JAK/STAT, and Ras-Raf-MAPK, defining the canonical signaling network.

    Evidence Review of autophosphorylation, co-IP, and downstream signaling assays

    PMID:10582339

    Open questions at the time
    • Quantitative contribution of each arm to specific phenotypes not resolved in the review
  8. 2000 High

    A knock-in selectively abrogating PI3-kinase coupling separated KIT effector arms in vivo, showing PI3K is specifically required for spermatogonial DNA synthesis but not stem cell maintenance.

    Evidence PI3K-abrogating c-kit knock-in mouse with BrdU incorporation; tr-kit microinjection causing egg activation

    PMID:11079457

    Open questions at the time
    • Effectors mediating the non-PI3K spermatogonial functions not identified
    • Mechanism of tr-kit egg activation unresolved
  9. 2001 High

    Dissection of the SCF cytoplasmic tail identified targeting and endocytosis signals controlling whether the ligand persists at the surface or is internalized.

    Evidence Site-directed mutagenesis and polarized epithelial targeting assays with confocal microscopy

    PMID:11152680

    Open questions at the time
    • Trafficking machinery reading the leucine/acidic signal not identified
  10. 2002 High

    Live-imaging of receptor dynamics defined the route and requirements of KIT endocytosis, showing it depends on kinase activity, Src, and intact lipid rafts but not PI3-kinase, feeding into proteasomal degradation.

    Evidence EYFP-kit live-cell imaging with kinase-dead/Src/PI3K mutants, methyl-β-cyclodextrin, internalization blockers, and proteasome inhibitors

    PMID:12085229

    Open questions at the time
    • Identity of raft adaptors and E3 ligases not established
    • Link between internalization and signal termination vs continuation not fully resolved
  11. 2005 Medium

    Antibody blockade in organ culture extended KIT requirement to ureteral peristalsis, broadening its role to visceral smooth-muscle pacemaker function.

    Evidence Immunocytochemistry and function-blocking antibody treatment of embryonic ureter organ culture

    PMID:15592099

    Open questions at the time
    • Cellular identity of KIT-positive pacemaker cells not defined
    • Single lab, organ culture only
  12. 2010 High

    Identification of a GATA2-Sp1 complex at a promoter GC-box explained how c-kit transcription is maintained in mast cells, linking lineage transcription factors to receptor expression.

    Evidence Reporter assay, EMSA, ChIP/re-ChIP, and siRNA knockdown with flow cytometry

    PMID:20833840

    Open questions at the time
    • Whether this complex governs KIT transcription in non-mast lineages not addressed
  13. 2014 Medium

    Structural characterization of a stable promoter G-quadruplex identified a candidate cis-regulatory element of c-KIT transcription.

    Evidence X-ray crystallography, NMR, and molecular dynamics of the promoter quadruplex

    PMID:25452341

    Open questions at the time
    • Functional transcriptional consequence not demonstrated
    • Cellular factors binding the quadruplex unknown
  14. 2017 High

    Engineering a dimerization-impaired SCF partial agonist demonstrated that dimerization efficiency tunes signaling amplitude and cell-type selectivity, and additional work tied KIT to cardiac repair and to endocytosis-dependent drug-induced apoptosis in AML.

    Evidence SCF partial agonist with dimerization/signaling assays and in vivo mouse models; c-Kit reporter and knock-in mouse cardiac injury models; dynamin-inhibitor endocytosis blockade with HSP90β/Apaf-1/caspase readouts and xenografts

    PMID:28283060 PMID:29127384 PMID:29636378

    Open questions at the time
    • Structural basis of biased signaling not fully resolved
    • Mechanism linking KIT endocytosis to HSP90β/Apaf-1 axis incompletely defined
    • Cardiac stem cell identity debated

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How the same dimerized receptor selectively engages distinct effector arms to produce lineage-specific outputs (survival, migration, differentiation, pacemaker function) remains incompletely defined.
  • No unified structural model linking dimerization geometry to differential effector recruitment
  • Tissue-specific adaptor/scaffold repertoire not mapped

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0140096 catalytic activity, acting on a protein 4 GO:0060089 molecular transducer activity 3 GO:0016740 transferase activity 2 GO:0140657 ATP-dependent activity 1
Localization
GO:0005886 plasma membrane 3 GO:0005768 endosome 2
Pathway
R-HSA-1266738 Developmental Biology 3 R-HSA-162582 Signal Transduction 3 R-HSA-5653656 Vesicle-mediated transport 2 R-HSA-74160 Gene expression (Transcription) 2 R-HSA-1643685 Disease 1
Partners
FKBP1AGATA2KITLGSP1

Evidence

Reading pass · 19 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
1988 The c-kit proto-oncogene product is a transmembrane glycoprotein (~145 kDa in brain, ~160 kDa in spleen, ~150 kDa in testis) with intrinsic autophosphorylating tyrosine kinase activity, demonstrated by immune complex kinase assay; N-linked carbohydrates include hybrid/complex and high-mannose structures. Immune complex kinase assay, endoglycosidase digestion, wheat germ agglutinin affinity chromatography, autophosphorylation assay Molecular and cellular biology High 2463468
1991 c-kit is expressed on the surface of hematopoietic progenitor cells in adult mouse bone marrow and is essential for constitutive intramarrow hematopoiesis and self-renewal of progenitors; in vivo injection of an antagonistic anti-c-kit monoclonal antibody (ACK2) depleted virtually all hematopoietic progenitors within two days. In vivo antibody blockade (antagonistic mAb ACK2 injection), flow cytometry, colony-forming assays The Journal of experimental medicine High 1711568
1992 SCF (kit receptor ligand) acts as a potent chemoattractant for mast cells, stimulating directional migration via the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase; W42 mutant mast cells with defective c-kit kinase failed to migrate in response to SCF but retained normal IL-3-driven motility. Chemotaxis assay using mucosal and connective tissue mast cells, W42 kinase-dead mutant controls Blood High 1371080
1994 SCF (kit ligand) produced by granulosa cells binds and activates the c-kit receptor on oocytes (demonstrated by immune complex kinase autophosphorylation assay) and is required for oocyte growth in vitro; addition of exogenous KL increased oocyte growth rate by up to 2-fold, and blockade with anti-c-kit mAb ACK2 or the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein severely inhibited oocyte growth. Immune complex kinase assay, oocyte culture in collagen gels, anti-c-kit antibody blockade, tyrosine kinase inhibitor (genistein) treatment, Northern blot for KL mRNA Developmental biology High 7507447
1994 SCF/c-kit signaling stimulates mast cell adhesion to fibronectin (and to a lesser extent vitronectin) via the integrin VLA-5; this adhesion requires c-kit tyrosine kinase activity (c-kit mutant mast cells do not adhere to fibronectin on SCF stimulation but do after PMA), whereas direct cell-cell adhesion mediated by membrane-anchored SCF does not require c-kit kinase activity. Cell adhesion assay on fibronectin/vitronectin, c-kit kinase mutant (W) mouse-derived mast cells, integrin blocking antibodies, phorbol ester controls Blood High 7509207
1995 c-kit is constitutively autophosphorylated on tyrosine at low basal levels in rat type A spermatogonia, and SCF (kit ligand) stimulation significantly increases the phosphorylated form, demonstrating functional SCF-induced activation of c-kit kinase in spermatogonia. Immunocytochemistry, Western blot, RNA Northern blot, tyrosine phosphorylation assay Biology of reproduction Medium 7536046
1998 SCF induces c-kit receptor homodimerization within 3 minutes on human hematopoietic cells, detectable by FRET; dimerization is dose-dependent and correlates with concentrations required for proliferation. After internalization, c-kit is not recycled to the cell surface but requires new protein synthesis. Erythropoietin (Epo), but not thrombopoietin, also stimulated c-kit dimerization and tyrosine phosphorylation, indicating cross-talk between Epo and c-kit receptors. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) by flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, protein synthesis inhibitor experiments Blood High 9446650
1998 Pharmacological dimerization of chimeric proteins containing the c-kit cytoplasmic domain fused to FKBP12 is sufficient to drive proliferative signaling in Ba/F3 cells, establishing that c-kit receptor dimerization per se is sufficient for mitogenic signal transduction. Chemical dimerizer (FK1012, AP1510)-induced dimerization of c-kit-FKBP12 chimeras, Ba/F3 cell proliferation assay Blood Medium 9446649
1999 A missense mutation in the c-kit phosphotransferase domain (D816H) found in seminomas/dysgerminomas confers constitutive kinase activation and constitutive tyrosine phosphorylation, established by cell transfection experiments. PCR/DNA sequencing of tumor tissue, cell transfection with mutant c-kit D816H, immunoprecipitation and tyrosine phosphorylation assay The American journal of pathology High 10362788
1999 SCF binding to c-kit induces rapid receptor dimerization and increases in autophosphorylation activity, leading to activation of downstream signaling components including PI3-kinase, Src family kinases, JAK/STAT pathway, and the Ras-Raf-MAP kinase cascade. Review summarizing biochemical studies including autophosphorylation assays, co-immunoprecipitation, and downstream signaling assays (from primary literature cited therein) The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology Medium 10582339
2000 A point mutation in c-kit that selectively abrogates PI3-kinase activation does not affect primordial germ cell numbers during embryonic development or spermatogonial stem cell populations, but causes complete male sterility by blocking DNA synthesis specifically in differentiating A1-A4 spermatogonia. A truncated c-kit product (tr-kit), expressed specifically in post-meiotic cells and accumulated in spermatozoa, causes parthenogenetic egg activation upon microinjection into mouse eggs. Knock-in mouse with PI3K-abrogating c-kit mutation, BrdU incorporation assay, microinjection of tr-kit into mouse eggs, in vivo antibody blockade Journal of endocrinological investigation High 11079457
2001 The cytoplasmic domain of SCF (transmembrane stem cell factor) contains a monomeric leucine-dependent basolateral targeting signal assisted by an upstream cluster of acidic amino acids; this signal is distinct from endocytosis signals and allows persistent cell-surface expression of SCF. A mutation in the SCF cytoplasmic tail (Mgf Sl17H) introduces a motif related to endocytosis/lysosomal targeting signals that causes constitutive endocytosis. Site-directed mutagenesis of SCF cytoplasmic domain, polarized epithelial cell targeting assays, confocal microscopy The Journal of biological chemistry High 11152680
2002 SCF-induced activation of c-kit leads to receptor internalization into vesicular structures (endosomal pathway) in a process that requires c-kit kinase activity and Src recruitment but not PI3-kinase; cholesterol depletion by methyl-β-cyclodextrin reduces receptor internalization, suggesting c-kit resides in lipid rafts or requires intact lipid rafts for endocytosis. Proteasome inhibitors cause accumulation of internalized vesicles. EGFP-tagged c-kit chimera (SS-EYFP-kit) live-cell real-time imaging, time-lapse microscopy, phenylarsine oxide (internalization blocker), methyl-β-cyclodextrin (cholesterol depletion), proteasome inhibitors, kinase-dead and PI3K/Src-deficient mutant c-kit constructs Oncogene High 12085229
2005 c-kit expression appears in the embryonic ureter muscularis propria at gestational day 15.5, coincident with the acquisition of unidirectional peristaltic contractions; in vitro neutralization of c-kit with blocking antibodies markedly altered ureter morphology and abolished peristalsis, demonstrating that c-kit function is required for ureteral peristalsis. Immunocytochemistry on embryonic mouse ureter sections, in vitro ureteral organ culture with c-kit function-blocking antibodies The Journal of urology Medium 15592099
2010 GATA2 and Sp1 cooperatively transactivate the c-kit promoter in mast cells via a GC-box element; GATA2 forms a complex with Sp1 at the GC-box (demonstrated by EMSA and re-ChIP), and siRNA knockdown of either Sp1 or GATA2 suppresses c-kit transcription and cell-surface c-Kit expression. Reporter assay, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), re-ChIP, siRNA knockdown, flow cytometry Journal of immunology High 20833840
2017 An engineered SCF partial agonist that impairs c-Kit dimerization truncates downstream signaling amplitude; this biased agonist preferentially activates hematopoietic progenitors over mast cells in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating that signaling threshold tuning through receptor dimerization efficiency controls cell-type selectivity of c-Kit responses. Protein engineering of SCF partial agonist, dimerization assays, in vitro and in vivo mouse models (anaphylaxis, radioprotection, hematopoietic expansion), signaling amplitude measurements Cell High 28283060
2017 c-Kit signaling promotes cell survival and proliferation in both cardiac stem cells and cardiomyocytes of human and murine origin; c-Kit haploinsufficiency (from Cre knock-in at the Kit locus) worsens myocardial repair after injury and accelerates cardiac aging. Inducible transgenic c-Kit reporter mouse (c-Kit promoter-driven H2BEGFP), in vitro c-Kit activation assays in cardiac cells, comparison with Kit knock-in model, cardiac injury models Circulation research Medium 29636378
2017 c-KIT endocytosis is essential for dasatinib- and radotinib-induced apoptosis in c-KIT-positive AML cells; these drugs reduce HSP90β expression and release Apaf-1, activating a caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway. Inhibition of c-KIT endocytosis by dynamin inhibitor reversed cell viability loss and restored HSP90β expression. Dynamin inhibitor (endocytosis blocker), flow cytometry, Western blot for HSP90β and Apaf-1, caspase activation assays, xenograft mouse model Scientific reports Medium 29127384
2014 A G-quadruplex sequence in the promoter region of the c-KIT gene forms a highly stable, topologically invariant quadruplex structure (confirmed across multiple crystal forms and by NMR); single and dinucleotide loops show high conformational flexibility while the overall fold is conserved, suggesting this promoter element may regulate c-KIT transcription. X-ray crystallography (two new crystal structures in distinct space groups), NMR, molecular dynamics simulation Nucleic acids research Medium 25452341

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 100 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
1991 Expression and function of c-kit in hemopoietic progenitor cells. The Journal of experimental medicine 696 1711568
2014 c-kit+ cells minimally contribute cardiomyocytes to the heart. Nature 633 24805242
2005 KIT (CD117): a review on expression in normal and neoplastic tissues, and mutations and their clinicopathologic correlation. Applied immunohistochemistry & molecular morphology : AIMM 453 16082245
1990 Gonadal expression of c-kit encoded at the W locus of the mouse. Development (Cambridge, England) 441 1712701
1999 The biology of stem cell factor and its receptor C-kit. The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology 436 10582338
1999 Activating c-kit gene mutations in human germ cell tumors. The American journal of pathology 357 10362788
1999 Early signaling pathways activated by c-Kit in hematopoietic cells. The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology 305 10582339
1999 Differential expression of c-kit in mouse undifferentiated and differentiating type A spermatogonia. Endocrinology 303 10579355
1993 The kit-ligand (steel factor) and its receptor c-kit/W: pleiotropic roles in gametogenesis and melanogenesis. Development (Cambridge, England) 285 7519481
1992 The c-kit receptor ligand functions as a mast cell chemoattractant. Blood 251 1371080
1994 Expression of c-kit and kit ligand proteins in normal human tissues. The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society 224 7523489
2007 c-Kit--a hematopoietic cell essential receptor tyrosine kinase. The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology 210 17350321
2006 Stem cell factor and its receptor c-Kit as targets for inflammatory diseases. European journal of pharmacology 208 16483568
1994 The ligand of the c-kit receptor promotes oocyte growth. Developmental biology 208 7507447
1999 Stem cell factor/c-kit system in spermatogenesis. Human reproduction update 172 10582791
1994 Steel factor and c-kit regulate cell-matrix adhesion. Blood 172 7509207
1995 Expression of c-kit receptor and its autophosphorylation in immature rat type A spermatogonia. Biology of reproduction 171 7536046
2009 c-kit expression identifies cardiovascular precursors in the neonatal heart. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 164 19193854
1995 Functional hierarchy of c-kit and c-fms in intramarrow production of CFU-M. Oncogene 155 8545103
2006 Kit ligand and c-Kit have diverse roles during mammalian oogenesis and folliculogenesis. Molecular human reproduction 151 16481408
1988 c-kit protein, a transmembrane kinase: identification in tissues and characterization. Molecular and cellular biology 151 2463468
2001 Review: melanocyte migration and survival controlled by SCF/c-kit expression. The journal of investigative dermatology. Symposium proceedings 145 11764276
2000 Role of c-kit in mammalian spermatogenesis. Journal of endocrinological investigation 135 11079457
1991 The expression of c-kit protein during oogenesis and early embryonic development. Biology of reproduction 134 1721549
2008 Analysis of c-KIT expression and KIT gene mutation in human mucosal melanomas. British journal of cancer 127 19018266
2012 Therapeutic targeting of c-KIT in cancer. Expert opinion on investigational drugs 119 23127174
2002 C-kit expression in pediatric solid tumors: a comparative immunohistochemical study. The American journal of surgical pathology 119 11914627
2003 Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST): C-kit mutations, CD117 expression, differential diagnosis and targeted cancer therapy with Imatinib. Pathology oncology research : POR 115 12704441
1994 The riddle of the mast cell: kit(CD117)-ligand as the missing link? Immunology today 115 7513517
2005 Immunohistochemical KIT (CD117) expression in thymic epithelial tumors. Chest 112 16002927
2005 Role of c-Kit and erythropoietin receptor in erythropoiesis. Critical reviews in oncology/hematology 110 15780908
1998 Expression of the c-kit (CD117) molecule in normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Leukemia & lymphoma 108 9711908
2002 Kit and c-kit mutations in mastocytosis: a short overview with special reference to novel molecular and diagnostic concepts. International archives of allergy and immunology 107 11919418
2018 CD117/c-kit in Cancer Stem Cell-Mediated Progression and Therapeutic Resistance. Biomedicines 105 29518044
2000 c-Kit and c-kit mutations in mastocytosis and other hematological diseases. Journal of leukocyte biology 103 10670573
1994 Steel factor and c-kit protooncogene: genetic lessons in signal transduction. Critical reviews in oncogenesis 101 7531500
2002 Expression of KIT (CD117) in angiomyolipoma. The American journal of surgical pathology 92 11914628
2003 Role of c-kit/Kit ligand signaling in regulating vasculogenesis. Thrombosis and haemostasis 91 14515175
2003 Alterations of the c-kit gene in testicular germ cell tumors. Cancer science 89 12824871
1991 The murine W/c-kit and Steel loci and the control of hematopoiesis. Seminars in hematology 87 1715096
1993 Steel factor and c-kit receptor: from mutants to a growth factor system. BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology 81 7682413
2004 Overexpression of KIT (CD117) in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma and renal oncocytoma. American journal of clinical pathology 78 15198361
2014 C-KIT signaling in cancer treatment. Current pharmaceutical design 76 23944364
2005 C-kit expression in renal oncocytomas and chromophobe renal cell carcinomas. Human pathology 74 15791570
2010 C-kit+ cardiac progenitors exhibit mesenchymal markers and preferential cardiovascular commitment. Cardiovascular research 70 20833650
2004 Targeting c-Kit mutations: basic science to novel therapies. Leukemia research 70 15036937
2021 A holistic view on c-Kit in cancer: Structure, signaling, pathophysiology and its inhibitors. Biochimica et biophysica acta. Reviews on cancer 68 34606974
1990 The mouse W/c-kit locus. Ciba Foundation symposium 68 1690623
2009 Clinical implications of c-Kit mutations in acute myelogenous leukemia. Current hematologic malignancy reports 66 20425418
2004 c-kit gene mutations in intracranial germinomas. Cancer science 64 15471556
1997 Expression of the stem cell factor receptor C-KIT (CD117) in acute leukemias. Haematologica 62 9407735
2017 Decoupling the Functional Pleiotropy of Stem Cell Factor by Tuning c-Kit Signaling. Cell 61 28283060
2011 c-kit and its related genes in spermatogonial differentiation. Spermatogenesis 58 22319667
2009 c-KIT signaling as the driving oncogenic event in sub-groups of melanomas. Histology and histopathology 58 19283671
2010 Expression and mutational status of c-kit in thymic epithelial tumors. Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 57 20651610
2002 CD117 (KIT): a diverse protein with selective applications in surgical pathology. Advances in anatomic pathology 57 11756760
2019 Role of c-Kit in Myocardial Regeneration and Aging. Frontiers in endocrinology 56 31275242
2017 Targeting c-KIT (CD117) by dasatinib and radotinib promotes acute myeloid leukemia cell death. Scientific reports 55 29127384
2014 Flexibility and structural conservation in a c-KIT G-quadruplex. Nucleic acids research 54 25452341
1993 Expression of c-kit and kit ligand in human colon carcinoma cells. Tumour biology : the journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine 54 7694350
2010 Signaling of c-kit in dendritic cells influences adaptive immunity. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 52 20146711
2007 Molecular analysis of c-Kit and PDGFRA in GISTs diagnosed by EUS. American journal of clinical pathology 52 17145623
2002 Analysing c-kit internalization using a functional c-kit-EGFP chimera containing the fluorochrome within the extracellular domain. Oncogene 52 12085229
2000 Expression of c-kit and kit-ligand in benign and malignant prostatic tissues. Histology and histopathology 51 10809354
2004 The spectrum of Kit (CD117) immunoreactivity in lung and pleural tumors: a study of 96 cases using a single-source antibody with a review of the literature. Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine 50 15086281
2006 Expression of c-kit (CD117) in Spitz nevus and malignant melanoma. Journal of cutaneous pathology 48 16441409
2010 GATA2 and Sp1 positively regulate the c-kit promoter in mast cells. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 47 20833840
2003 CD117 (c-KIT) overexpression in patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung carcinoma. Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology 47 12796027
1994 Expression of c-kit ligand in human keratinocytes. Archives of dermatological research 47 7520225
2005 c-kit and ureteral peristalsis. The Journal of urology 45 15592099
2008 RAS, FLT3, and C-KIT mutations in immunophenotyped canine leukemias. Experimental hematology 43 18977066
2001 Stem cell factor presentation to c-Kit. Identification of a basolateral targeting domain. The Journal of biological chemistry 43 11152680
1997 c-kit Point mutation in patients with myeloproliferative disorders. Leukemia & lymphoma 42 9168438
2001 Expression of c-kit (CD117) in benign and malignant human endometrial epithelium. Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine 40 11151069
1998 Analysis of c-kit receptor dimerization by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Blood 40 9446650
1998 Stimulating cell proliferation through the pharmacologic activation of c-kit. Blood 37 9446649
2004 Expression of the KIT protein (CD117) in primary cutaneous mast cell tumors of the dog. Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc 35 15586571
2007 CD117 (c-kit) expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma. Clinical oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain)) 33 17359908
2007 Immunohistochemical analysis of nestin and c-kit and their significance in pancreatic tumors. Pathology international 33 17685930
2006 C-kit gene mutation: common and widely distributed in intracranial germinomas. Journal of neurosurgery 33 16572634
1992 The c-kit proto-oncogene in normal and malignant human hematopoiesis. International journal of cell cloning 33 1379619
2014 C-kit and PDGFRA gene mutations in triple negative breast cancer. International journal of clinical and experimental pathology 32 25120810
2012 Targeting c-kit in the therapy of mast cell disorders: current update. European journal of pharmacology 32 22789565
2004 C-kit expression and mutational analysis in medulloblastoma. Pediatric and developmental pathology : the official journal of the Society for Pediatric Pathology and the Paediatric Pathology Society 32 15547773
2021 CD117/c-kit defines a prostate CSC-like subpopulation driving progression and TKI resistance. Scientific reports 31 33446896
2018 Cardiac c-Kit Biology Revealed by Inducible Transgenesis. Circulation research 31 29636378
2015 CD117 (KIT) is a useful immunohistochemical marker for differentiating porocarcinoma from squamous cell carcinoma. Journal of cutaneous pathology 31 26449497
2008 C-Kit receptor (CD117) in the porcine urinary tract. Pediatric surgery international 31 18026739
2007 C-kit, GIST, and imatinib. Recent results in cancer research. Fortschritte der Krebsforschung. Progres dans les recherches sur le cancer 31 17607922
2015 Expression and localisation of c-kit and KITL in the adult human ovary. Journal of ovarian research 30 26008799
2004 C-kit gene mutation in human gastrointestinal stromal tumors. World journal of gastroenterology 30 15112348
2003 Expression of the c-kit receptor in choroidal melanomas. Melanoma research 30 12690299
1995 Expression of c-kit receptor (CD117) and CD34 in leukemic cells. Leukemia & lymphoma 30 7536510
2009 Immunohistochemical expression of the KIT protein (CD117) in normal and neoplastic canine testes. Journal of comparative pathology 29 19683721
1999 Effects of mutant c-Kit in early myeloid cells. Leukemia & lymphoma 28 10492068
1996 C-kit receptor (CD117) expression in acute leukemia. Annals of hematology 28 8605274
1992 Expression of c-kit protein during placental development. Biology of reproduction 28 1382631
2017 Chasing c-Kit through the heart: Taking a broader view. Pharmacological research 26 28627370
2004 c-kit expression in adenocarcinomas of the lung. Tumour biology : the journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine 26 15627886
2003 C-kit immunoreactivity in endometrial adenocarcinomas and its clinicopathologic significance. International journal of gynecological pathology : official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists 26 12649669

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