Background
LTK is a member of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)/LTK subfamily within the insulin receptor superfamily of RTKs. Although LTK can activate the RAS/MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways and is expressed in several organs, including the brain, bone marrow, lymphoid tissues, and placenta. In malignancies, LTK has been found to be overexpressed in leukemia, and high expression of LTK in early-stage NSCLC has been associated with a greater risk of metastasis.
Ba/F3, a murine interleukin-3 dependent pro-B cell line is increasingly popular as a model system for assessing both the potency and downstream signaling of kinase oncogenes, and the ability of small-molecule kinase inhibitors to block kinase activity.
