Not available outside of the UK & Ireland.

Analysis Note

The proliferative activity is tested in culture using TF1 human erythroleukemic cells.

Application

Stem Cell Factor human has been used in In vitro differentiation of equine embryonic stem cells Chemotaxis detection system Ex vivo expansion of umbilical cord blood CD34⁺ cells Cytokine therapy

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.

Epidermal stem cell factor (SCF) is considered as an essential mast cell growth factor and a multifunctional cytokine. SCF mediates tumor development and progression. Upregulation of the SCF gene is observed in hepatocellular carcinoma.

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.

Physical form

Lyophilized from a 0.2 µm filtered solution in PBS containing 50 µg BSA per 1 µg as a carrier protein.