Activating mutations of the tyrosine kinase receptor KIT have been described in both mastocytosis and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), but are usually found in separate domains and often respond differently to signal transduction inhibitors.
The discovery of activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase receptor genes KIT and PDGFRA has led to the development of effective targeted therapies for gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs).
KIT, a tyrosine kinase receptor protein encoded by the proto-oncogene c-kit, is overexpressed in human neoplasms such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors and thymic squamous cell carcinoma.
Overexpression of c-kit, a tyrosine kinase receptor protein encoded by the protooncogene kit, has been previously reported in thymic epithelial tumors and in other neoplasms such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors, myeloproliferative disorders, melanoma, and seminoma.
GISTs are related to the interstitial cells of Cajal and are characterized by constitutive over-expression of the transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor KIT.
Overexpression of KIT, a tyrosine kinase receptor protein encoded by the proto-oncogene c-kit, is observed in human neoplasms such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), myeloproliferative disorders, melanoma and seminoma.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are most often associated with oncogenic mutations of the KIT gene resulting in activation of the tyrosine kinase receptor KIT.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are neoplastic lesions that arise from the interstitial cells of Cajal and are associated with somatic mutations in the tyrosine kinase receptor, KIT.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs), which have somatic mutations of the transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor, respond to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which act through an inhibitory effect on class 3 receptor tyrosine kinase members such as PDGFRalpha, PDGFRbeta and c-kit.
From these data we conclude that activating c-KIT and PDGFR mutations are sporadic in human cancers known to overexpress these tyrosine kinase receptor genes and suggest that, except in GIST, this overexpression is not correlated with activating mutations.
If c-myc is constitutively activated in malignant tumours, this may provide an explanation for why the Wnt pathway is no longer important in these tumours. c-kit is a membrane-bound tyrosine kinase receptor and overexpression is characteristic of gastrointestinal stromal tumours.