Stem Cells, Vol 12, 521-526, Copyright © 1994 by AlphaMed Press
Human peripheral blood granulocytes and myeloid leukemic cell lines express both transcripts encoding for stem cell factor
U Ramenghi, L Ruggieri, I Dianzani, C Rosso, MF Brizzi, C Camaschella, T Pietsch and G Saglio
Istituto di Clinica Pediatrica Universita di Torino, Italy.
Stem cell factor (SCF), the ligand for the c-kit proto-oncogene, has been
shown to play a critical role in the migration of melanocytes and germ
cells during embryogenesis as well as in the proliferative control of the
hematopoietic compartment. In this study we investigated the expression of
both the soluble and transmembrane SCF forms in purified peripheral blood
populations and in several hematopoietic cell lines. Expression of both
transcripts, though in different ratios, was identified in whole bone
marrow, in bone marrow stromal cells and in human peripheral blood. In
peripheral blood, SCF expression could be ascribable to polymorphonuclear
leukocytes (PMN), whereas no SCF expression was detected in isolated
lymphocytes, monocytes and in some T lymphoid cell lines. Conversely, some
hematopoietic myeloid cell lines, such as HL-60, KG1 and K562, express SCF
with similar patterns.
