The stem cell factor (SCF)/c-KIT signalling in testis and prostate cancer

HJ Cardoso, MI Figueira, S Socorro - Journal of cell communication and …, 2017 - Springer
HJ Cardoso, MI Figueira, S Socorro
Journal of cell communication and signaling, 2017Springer
The stem cell factor (SCF) is a cytokine that specifically binds the tyrosine kinase receptor c-
KIT. The SCF/c-KIT interaction leads to receptor dimerization, activation of kinase activity
and initiation of several signal transduction pathways that control cell proliferation,
apoptosis, differentiation and migration in several tissues. The activity of SCF/c-KIT system is
linked with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), the Src, the Janus kinase/signal
transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT), the phospholipase-C (PLC-γ) and …
Abstract
The stem cell factor (SCF) is a cytokine that specifically binds the tyrosine kinase receptor c-KIT. The SCF/c-KIT interaction leads to receptor dimerization, activation of kinase activity and initiation of several signal transduction pathways that control cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and migration in several tissues. The activity of SCF/c-KIT system is linked with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), the Src, the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT), the phospholipase-C (PLC-γ) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Moreover, it has been reported that cancer cases display an overactivation of c-KIT due to the presence of gain-of-function mutations or receptor overexpression, which renders c-KIT a tempting target for cancer treatment. In the case of male cancers the most documented activated pathways are the PI3-K and Src, both enhancing abnormal cell proliferation. It is also known that the Src activity in prostate cancer cases depends on the presence of tr-KIT, the cytoplasmic truncated variant of c-KIT that is specifically expressed in tumour tissues and, thus, a very interesting target for drug development. The present review provides an overview of the signalling pathways activated by SCF/c-KIT and discusses the potential application of c-KIT inhibitors for treatment of testicular and prostatic cancers.
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