Stromal KITL/SCF Maintains Pancreas Tissue Homeostasis and Restrains Tumor Progression

By analyzing transcriptional programs in healthy and tumor-associated pancreatic mesenchyme, we find that a subpopulation of mesenchymal cells in healthy pancreas tissue expresses the paracrine signaling factor KITL. The loss of mesenchymal KITL is an accompanying and permissive feature of pancreas tumor evolution, with potential implications for cancer interception. See related article by Dolskii and Cukierman, p. 872.