Serum soluble c‐kit receptor and expression of c‐kit protein and mRNA in acute myeloid leukemia

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Abstract
To investigate the clinical role of the soluble form of c‐kit receptor (s‐kit) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we determined the levels of serum s‐kit and expression of c‐kit antigens and mRNA in leukemic cells. The serum s‐kit level was measured using ELISA assay in 30 AML patients and 20 normal controls. C‐kit antigens of leukemic blasts were stained immunohistologically, and c‐kit mRNA was detected by RT‐PCR. The serum s‐kit level in M1 and M2 were significantly increased (ppppr=0.564, p<0.05). These results indicate that the serum s‐kit level is related to the stage of differentiation of AML blasts in accordance with the expression of c‐kit protein and mRNA in AML blasts, and is useful for assessment of leukemic cell burden.