BACKGROUND Slow coronary flow (SCF) is an angiographic finding characterised by delayed opacification of epicardial coronary arteries without obstructive coronary disease. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), localised beneath the visceral pericardium, is a metabolically active endocrine and paracrine organ with possible interactions within the heart. EAT and low-grade inflammation play major roles...

OBJECTIVE Although stem cell factor (SCF) has been shown to play a critical role in hematopoiesis, gametogenesis, and melanogenesis, the function of SCF in the regulation of vascular integrity has not been studied. APPROACH AND RESULTS We demonstrated that SCF binds to and activates the cKit receptor in endothelial cells, thereby increasing the internalization of vascular endothelial-cadherin...

The stem cell factor (SCF) is a polypeptide ligand that is essential for the development of germ cells, hematopoietic progenitor cells, and melanocyte precursors. It binds to a tyrosine kinase membrane receptor that is encoded by the c-kit proto-oncogene. We have constructed an expression vector that directs the synthesis of the entire extracellular ligand-binding domain of the Kit/SCF receptor...

The present study aimed at investigating the beneficial effects of co-administering granulocyte colony–stimulating factor (G-CSF) and stem cell factor (SCF) in a model of chronic liver injury induced by thioacetamide (TAA). Biochemical and histopathology- cal examinations were performed on serum and liver specimens. At the end of the treatment period, the rats were anesthetized with ether, seru...

Stem cell factor (SCF) is essential for the development of primordial follicles. By using cultured ovaries from neonatal rats, the effect of SCF on early follicular development was investigated. Steroidogenesis is a hallmark of follicular development. Expressions of three key protein factors in steroidogenesis, SF-1, StAR, and P450arom, were investigated using immunohistochemistry and in situ h...

We investigated the effects of stem cell factor (SCF) on the migration of murine bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) in vitro using a modification of the checkerboard assay. Chemotactic and chemokinetic activities of SCF on HPC were evaluated by the numbers of HPC migrated on positive and negative gradients of SCF, respectively. On both positive and negative gradients of SCF, HPC b...

A novel hematopoietic growth factor, the stem cell factor (SCF), for primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells has recently been purified and its gene has been cloned. In this study we tested the mitogenic activity of recombinant human SCF on myeloid leukemia cells as well as the expression of its receptor. We have investigated the proliferation of 31 myeloid leukemia cell lines as well as fresh...

Mast cells are critical immune effectors abundant in tissues interfacing with the environment and have major roles in allergen-induced inflammation and host responses to infection. SCF is a regulator of mast cell function and growth. However, the critical mechanisms in SCF-directed events remain incompletely defined. Here, we have investigated the role of MKK3 in mast cell SCF signaling-depende...