Possible involvement of c-kit receptor and its ligand in increase of mast cells in neurofibroma tissues.
Many mast cells are present in the tumor tissues of neurofibromatosis 1. We investigated the mechanism of the mast cell increase. Since the stem cell factor (SCF) induces development of mast cells and since the receptor of SCF is encoded by the c-kit gene, we examined the expression of SCF mRNA and c-kit mRNA in neurofibroma tissues. In situ hybridization demonstrated strong expression of c-kit messenger RNA in mast cells in the neurofibroma, but the expression of SCF mRNA was not demonstrable by in situ hybridization in either neurofibroma tissues or control normal skin tissues. When RNA extracted from neurofibroma tissues or normal skin tissues was reverse transcribed and then amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, the amount of SCF cDNA was greater in neurofibroma tissues than in normal skin tissues. The results suggest that SCF and the c-kit receptor are associated with the increase of mast cells in neurofibroma tissues.
Hirota
S
S
Department of Pathology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
Nomura
S
S
Asada
H
H
Ito
A
A
Morii
E
E
Kitamura
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D002452:Cell Count; D002648:Child; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D016184:Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D019089:Stem Cell Factor
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D016184:Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases