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Hematopoietic growth factor is a group of glycoproteins that causes blood cells to grow and mature (Haematopoiesis). "A group of at least seven substances involved in the production of blood cells, including several interleukins and erythropoietin." [1]
A growth factor is a naturally occurring substance capable of stimulating cell proliferation, wound healing, and occasionally cellular differentiation. Usually it is a secreted protein or a steroid hormone. Growth factors are important for regulating a variety of cellular processes.
Haematopoiesis is the formation of blood cellular components. All cellular blood components are derived from haematopoietic stem cells. In a healthy adult human, roughly ten billion to a hundred billion new blood cells are produced per day, in order to maintain steady state levels in the peripheral circulation.
A tyrosine kinase is an enzyme that can transfer a phosphate group from ATP to the tyrosine residues of specific proteins inside a cell. It functions as an "on" or "off" switch in many cellular functions.
A blood cell, also called a hematopoietic cell, hemocyte, or hematocyte, is a cell produced through hematopoiesis and found mainly in the blood. Major types of blood cells include red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), and platelets (thrombocytes). Together, these three kinds of blood cells add up to a total 45% of the blood tissue by volume, with the remaining 55% of the volume composed of plasma, the liquid component of blood.
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the stem cells that give rise to other blood cells. This process is called haematopoiesis. In vertebrates, the very first definitive HSCs arise from the ventral endothelial wall of the embryonic aorta within the (midgestational) aorta-gonad-mesonephros region, through a process known as endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition. In adults, haematopoiesis occurs in the red bone marrow, in the core of most bones. The red bone marrow is derived from the layer of the embryo called the mesoderm.
The CD44 antigen is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell–cell interactions, cell adhesion and migration. In humans, the CD44 antigen is encoded by the CD44 gene on chromosome 11. CD44 has been referred to as HCAM, Pgp-1, Hermes antigen, lymphocyte homing receptor, ECM-III, and HUTCH-1.
Palifermin is a truncated human recombinant keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) produced in Escherichia coli. KGF stimulates the growth of cells that line the surface of the mouth and intestinal tract.
Proto-oncogene c-KIT is the gene encoding the receptor tyrosine kinase protein known as tyrosine-protein kinase KIT, CD117 or mast/stem cell growth factor receptor (SCFR). Multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. KIT was first described by the German biochemist Axel Ullrich in 1987 as the cellular homolog of the feline sarcoma viral oncogene v-kit.
Cluster of differentiation antigen 135 (CD135) also known as fms like tyrosine kinase 3, receptor-type tyrosine-protein kinase FLT3, or fetal liver kinase-2 (Flk2) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FLT3 gene. FLT3 is a cytokine receptor which belongs to the receptor tyrosine kinase class III. CD135 is the receptor for the cytokine Flt3 ligand (FLT3L).
Stem cell factor is a cytokine that binds to the c-KIT receptor (CD117). SCF can exist both as a transmembrane protein and a soluble protein. This cytokine plays an important role in hematopoiesis, spermatogenesis, and melanogenesis.
CD27 is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily. It is currently of interest to immunologists as a co-stimulatory immune checkpoint molecule, and is the target of an anti-cancer drug in clinical trials.
Atiprimod is a substance being studied in the treatment of certain multiple myelomas and other advanced cancers. It may block the growth of tumors and the growth of blood vessels from surrounding tissue to the tumor. This drug is also being researched as a potential treatment for various autoimmune diseases. It was first developed by GlaxoSmithKline as a potential treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The substance is also known as azaspirane, although this more properly refers to the class of chemicals to which atiprimod belongs.
Autologous stem-cell transplantation is autologous transplantation of stem cells—that is, transplantation in which stem cells are removed from a person, stored, and later given back to that same person.
Homeobox protein Hox-B6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HOXB6 gene.
Hematopoietically-expressed homeobox protein HHEX is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HHEX gene and also known as Proline Rich Homeodomain protein PRH.
C-type lectin domain family 11 member A is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CLEC11A gene.
Idiopathic pneumonia syndrome is a set of pneumonia-like symptoms that occur with no sign of infection in the lung. Idiopathic pneumonia syndrome is a serious condition that can occur after a stem cell transplant. It occurs between 2.2 and 15 percent of hematopoietic stem cell transplants. The incubation period ranges between 4 and 106 days, but mostly is about 22 days from transplant.
Vaccine therapy is a type of treatment that uses a substance or group of substances to stimulate the immune system to destroy a tumor or infectious microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses.
Precursor T-lymphoblastic lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in which too many T-cell lymphoblasts are found in the lymph nodes and spleen. Also called T-lymphoblastic lymphoma, it is most common in young men.
Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), also called "Peripheral stem cell support", is a method of replacing blood-forming stem cells. Stem cells can be destroyed through cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation, as well as any blood-related diseases, such as leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma and multiple myeloma. PBSCT is now a much more common procedure than its bone marrow harvest equivalent due to the ease and less invasive nature of the procedure. Studies suggest that PBSCT has a better outcome in terms of the number of hematopoietic stem cell yield.
This article incorporates public domain material from Dictionary of Cancer Terms. U.S. National Cancer Institute.