title: Acquisition of the V617F mutation of JAK2 is a late genetic event in a subset of patients with myeloproliferative disorders.
abstract: An acquired gain-of-function mutation in the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2-V617F) is frequently found in patients with myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs). To test the hypothesis that JAK2-V617F is the disease-initiating mutation, we examined whether all cells of clonal origin carry the JAK2-V617F mutation. Using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for the JAK2 mutation and for the X-chromosomal clonality markers IDS and MPP1, we found that the percentage of granulocytes and platelets with JAK2-V617F was often markedly lower than the percentage of clonal granulocytes determined by IDS or MPP1 clonality assays in female patients. Using deletions of chromosome 20q (del20q) as an autosomal, X-chromosome-independent clonality marker, we found a similar discrepancy between the percentage of cells carrying JAK2-V617F and del20q. Our results suggest that in a proportion of patients with MPDs, JAK2-V617F occurs on the background of clonal hematopoiesis caused by a somatic mutation in an as-yet-unknown gene.
authors: Department of Research, Experimental Hematology, Basel University Hospital, Hebelstrasse 20, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Kralovics
authors: Soon-Siong
authors: SS
authors: Teo
authors: Sai
authors: S
authors: Li
authors: Alexandre
authors: A
authors: Theocharides
authors: Andreas S
authors: AS
authors: Buser
authors: Andre
authors: A
authors: Tichelli
authors: Radek C
authors: RC
authors: Skoda