CD117/c-kit) is a member of Tyrosine
Kinase kDa(-3) Receptor (TKR) family and highly homologous to receptor PDGF and
CSF-1. This antibody recognizes the extracellular domain and is expressed by a
variety of normal and abnormal cell types.
In normal cells, the CD117 antibody has
been shown to label breast epithelium, germ cells, melanocytes, stem cells and
mast cells. In abnormal cells, it has been shown to label testicular germ cells,
endometrial carcinomas, papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas, small cell
carcinomas, melanomas and ovarian epithelial carcinomas. It has also been shown
to be an effective marker for mast cell disorders, gastrointestinal stromal
tumors and immunotyping of blasts in human bone
marrow.