Zebrafish Kita Antibody / Kit / Scfr

Zebrafish possess two paralogs of the kit gene due to a teleost-specific genome duplication: kita and kitb. Among them, kita is primarily responsible for the development of melanophores, the pigment cells responsible for black coloration. Mutations in kita, such as the well-characterized sparse mutant, lead to a severe reduction in melanophore number, establishing Kit as a key regulator of pigment cell differentiation and migration. The Kit receptor is activated by its ligand, Kit ligand (Kitlg or Stem Cell Factor), which initiates downstream signaling through pathways such as MAPK/ERK, PI3K/Akt, and JAK/STAT, promoting cell survival, proliferation, and migration. In addition to its role in pigmentation, zebrafish Kit signaling is implicated in the survival and migration of primordial germ cells (PGCs) and has been suggested to influence early blood cell development. Zebrafish Kit proteins are functionally conserved with their mammalian counterparts, making the zebrafish model an effective system for investigating stem cell biology, oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, and genetic disorders associated with KIT dysfunction, such as piebaldism and certain cancers.