AXL is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase, belonging to the TAM kinase family. AXL is expressed in bone marrow, myeloid cells, also found in tumor cells and tumor vasculature. The interaction with its ligand GAS6 can stimulate cell proliferation and survival. AXL has been implicated as a cancer diver gene and its expression level is correlated with the prognosis of several aggressive tumors.
Ba/F3 cell, a murine interleukin-3 dependent pro-B cell line, is a popular system for exploring both kinases and their inhibitors, because some protein kinases can render the Ba/F3 cells to be depended on the activation of the kinases instead of IL-3 supplement, while their inhibitors can antagonize the kinase-dependent growth effects.