Figure 1

Main pathways activated by the tyrosine-kinase receptor c-KIT and its effects on carcinogenesis. KIT dimerization occurs from the SCF (yellow) coupling, which leads to phosphorylation of the tyrosine kinase domains (shown with red dots along the intracellular portions of receptors), which triggers the coupling and recruitment of several intracellular proteins that in turn, activate the three routes shown in colors (MAPK, PLCγ and PI3K pathways in purple, red and orange, respectively). This process culminates in cellular activities highlighted in rectangles.