The role of stem cell factor (SCF) and c-kit receptor in allergic asthma /

Allergic asthma is associated with the presence of increased numbers of activated inflammatory cells, including mast cells, eosinophils and T-cells within the lung. The recently documented cytokine, stem cell factor (SCF) is critical for mast cell growth, and for chemoattraction of progenitor cells and eosinophils. We hypothesized that allergic asthma is associated with the increased expression of SCF and its receptor, c-kit. The expression of SCF and c-kit was studied within the airways of atopic asthmatics and non-asthmatic controls using in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. The results demonstrated significantly increased expression of SCF and c-kit in bronchial biopsies and BAL from asthmatics compared to controls. SCF was preferentially localized to epithelium, and was also found in macrophages. The results suggest that SCF may play a role in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma, and support the importance of epithelium in regulation of immune responses in the lung