Expression and function of c-kit receptor in bone marrow mononuclear cells of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the expression and function of the c-kit receptor in bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).


METHODS
Direct immunofluorescence assay and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect c-kit protein and c-kit mRNA expressions in the BMMNC of 29 MDS patients and 10 normal controls. Cell culture was used to detect the function of the c-kit receptor.


RESULTS
c-kit protein expression in the MDS group was significantly higher than that in the control group (8.58% +/- 5.28% vs 3.04% +/- 1.49%, P < 0.05). c-kit protein expression in the refractory anemia (RA) group was significantly lower than that in the RA with an excess of blasts (RAEB)/RAEB in transformation (RAEB-t) group (5.12% +/- 2.13% vs 10.01% +/- 5.07%, P < 0.05). The rate of c-kit protein expression was 32.43% in acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) cases transformed from MDS (t-AML). c-kit mRNA expression in the MDS group was correlated with c-kit protein expression. Interleukin-3 (IL-3) and erythropoietin (Epo), with or without stem cell factor (SCF), upregulated c-kit protein and its mRNA expression. In the presence of IL-3 and Epo, SCF showed significant stimulating effects on the formation of CFU-GM and BFU-E in semi-solid cultures of normal BMMNC, but had no effects on those of the MDS patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The protein and mRNA expression of the c-kit receptor in the BMMNC of MDS patients were higher than those of normal controls, and the function of this receptor in MDS BMMNC was abnormal.
Shao
Z
Z
Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, First Department of Clinical Hematology, Tianjin 300020, China. zhshao@public.tpt.tj.cn
Zhang
H
H
Chen
G
G
Wang
L
L
Li
K
K
Zhang
Y
Y
Li
L
L
Sun
J
J
D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000494:pharmacology; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000378:metabolism*; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000494:pharmacology
D007377:Interleukin-3; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D004921:Erythropoietin; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit