PURIFICATION AND ACTIVITY OF RECOMBINANT CHICKEN STEM-CELL FACTOR PRODUCED BY USING A BACULOVIRUS VECTOR

Stem cell factor is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays an essential rol e in the development of hematopoietic cells, germ cells, and melanocyt es. To obtain recombinant soluble chicken stem cell factor (chSCF), a baculovirus containing the cDNA encoding chSCF polypeptide from amino acids -25 to 170 was constructed. The chSCF produced in insect cells i nfected with the virus was purified by ion exchange column chromatogra phy. The ability of the purified protein to induce the outgrowth of ne urites from chicken dorsal root ganglia cultured in vitro was demonstr ated.