Met encodes a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family of proteins and the product of the proto-oncogene MET. The encoded preproprotein is proteolytically processed to generate alpha and beta subunits that are linked via disulfide bonds to form the mature receptor. Further processing of the beta subunit results in the formation of the M10 peptide, which has been shown to reduce lung fibrosis. Binding of its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor, induces dimerization and activation of the receptor, which plays a role in cellular survival, embryogenesis, and cellular migration and invasion. Mutations in this gene are associated with papillary renal cell carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and various head and neck cancers.
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.