Synonym(s): SCF; c-Kit ligand
Purity: >97% (SDS-PAGE)
Physical form: Lyophilized from a 0.2 μm filtered solution in PBS containg 50 μg BSA /μg cytokine.
Analysis Note: The proliferative activity is tested in culture using TF-1 cells or by the dose dependent proliferation of human MO-7e cells.
Storage: −20°C
Biochem/physiol Actions: Stem Cell Factor (SCF), also known as c-Kit ligand (KL), steel factor (SLF) and mast cell growth factor (MGF), is a 30 kDa glycoprotein with broad activities on various tissues, including hematopoietic cells, pigment cells, and primordial germ cells. SCF is secreted by endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and bone marrow stromal cells as a membrane-bound form which may be cleaved to release the soluble form. Both forms are active in promoting colony formation from murine bone marrow cells, but membrane-bound SCF is more effective in promoting hematopoieses in vivo, suggesting a role in cellular interactions between hematopoietic and stromal cells. The soluble is thought to exist in solution as a noncovalently linked dimer. SCF is structurally related to M-CSF (CSF-1) and Flt-3/Flk-2 Ligand (FL) with all three sharing a similar size, existence of transmembrane and soluble forms, four conserved cysteines, and alternative splicing exon locations, but they share little sequence homology. SCF alone is a modest colony stimulating factor. However, in the presence of other cytokines such as EPO, TPO, GM-CSF, G-CSF, M-CSF, IL-3, and IL-7, SCF is a potent costimulant that works synergistically to increase the size of myeloid, erythroid or lymphoid lineage colonies without influencing the lineage differentiation of the progenitors.
Empirical Formula (Hill Notation): C9H8O3