KIT and ischemia: Studies of mouse ischemia models showed that the number of c-Kit+ cells in peripheral blood was lower but the level of SDF1α was much higher at 14 days after ischemia, as compared with control mice[26], suggesting that EPCs are mobilized into peripheral blood from bone marrow after the onset of ischemia, but at a later stage, the numbers of mobilized EPC in peripheral blood decrease due to their homing to the ischemic site.