Description
SCFR (Mast/stem cell growth factor receptor), also known as CD117, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KIT gene. c-Kit was first described as the cellular homolog of the feline sarcoma viral oncogene v-kit. It is expressed on the surface of germ cells up to the pachytene stage. Signaling from the receptor, tyrosine kinase is essential for primordial germ cell growth both in vivo and in vitro. Determination of the c-Kit effectors acting in primordial germ cells has been hampered by the lack of effective methods to manipulate easily gene expression in these cells