Impact of centralized evaluation of bone marrow histology in systemic mastocytosis

BACKGROUND

Bone marrow (BM) histology/immunohistochemistry, KIT D816V mutation analysis and serum tryptase measurements are mandatory tools for diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis (SM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Within the 'German Registry of Disorders on Eosinophils and Mast Cells', we identified 65 patients with SM who had two consecutive BM biopsies. The first biopsy was evaluated by a local pathologist (LP) and the second biopsy by a reference pathologist (RP) of the 'European Competence Network on Mastocytosis (ECNM)'.

RESULTS

Final diagnoses by RP were SM (n = 27), SM or aggressive SM (ASM) with associated clonal haematological non-mast cell lineage disease [(A)SM-AHNMD, n = 34)] or mast cell leukaemia ± AHNMD (n = 4). In 15 of 65 patients (23%), initial diagnoses by LP were incorrect (by overlooking SM), for example primary myelofibrosis (n = 3), myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm unclassified (n = 3) or B-cell lymphoma (n = 2). Fourteen of 15 patients (93%) with incorrect diagnosis had an advanced SM, mostly (A)SM-AHNMD. In the 50 concordantly diagnosed patients, immunohistochemical markers for quantitative assessment of mast cell infiltration, for example CD117 (KIT) or CD25, were applied by LP in only 34 of 50 patients (68%), and mutational analysis for KIT D816V was performed or recommended in only 13 of 50 patients (26%). Finally, the subclassification of SM was discordant because LP did not diagnose AHNMD in nine of 50 (18%) patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, adequate diagnosis and subclassification of SM requires an in-depth evaluation of the BM by experienced haematopathologists (preferably in a reference centre) in combination with molecular genetics, serum tryptase level and clinical parameters.

Additional mutations in SRSF2, ASXL1 and/or RUNX1 identify a high-risk group of patients with KIT D816V(+) advanced systemic mastocytosis

Most patients with KIT D816V(+) advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM) are characterized by somatic mutations in additional genes. We sought to clarify the prognostic impact of such mutations. Genotype and clinical characteristics of 70 multi-mutated KIT D816V(+) advanced SM patients were included in univariate and multivariate analyses. The most frequently identified mutated genes were TET2 (n=33 of 70 patients), SRSF2 (n=30), ASXL1 (n=20), RUNX1 (n=16) and JAK2 (n=11). In univariate analysis, overall survival (OS) was adversely influenced by mutations in SRSF2 (P<0.0001), ASXL1 (P=0.002) and RUNX1 (P=0.03), but was not influenced by mutations in TET2 or JAK2. In multivariate analysis, SRSF2 and ASXL1 remained the most predictive adverse indicators concerning OS. Furthermore, we found that inferior OS and adverse clinical characteristics were significantly influenced by the number of mutated genes in the SRSF2/ASXL1/RUNX1 (S/A/R) panel (P<0.0001). In conclusion, the presence and number of mutated genes within the S/A/R panel are adversely associated with advanced disease and poor survival in KIT D816V(+) SM. On the basis of these findings, inclusion of molecular markers should be considered in upcoming prognostic scoring systems for patients with SM.

Fusion of PDGFRB to MPRIP, CPSF6, and GOLGB1 in three patients with eosinophilia-associated myeloproliferative neoplasms

In eosinophilia-associated myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN-eo), constitutive activation of protein tyrosine kinases (TK) as consequence of translocations, inversions, or insertions and creation of TK fusion genes is recurrently observed. The most commonly involved TK and their potential TK inhibitors include PDGFRA at 4q12 or PDGFRB at 5q33 (imatinib), FGFR1 at 8p11 (ponatinib), and JAK2 at 9p24 (ruxolitinib). We here report the identification of three new PDGFRB fusion genes in three male MPN-eo patients: MPRIP-PDGFRB in a case with t(5;17)(q33;p11), CPSF6-PDGFRB in a case with t(5;12)(q33;q15), and GOLGB1-PDGFRB in a case with t(3;5)(q13;q33). The fusion proteins identified by 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or DNA-based long distance inverse PCR are predicted to contain the TK domain of PDGFRB. The partner genes contain domains like coiled-coil structures, which are likely to cause dimerization and activation of the TK. In all patients, imatinib induced rapid and durable complete remissions.

KIT D816V and JAK2 V617F mutations are seen recurrently in hypereosinophilia of unknown significance

Myeloproliferative neoplasms with eosinophilia are commonly characterized by a normal karyotype and remain poorly defined at the molecular level. We therefore investigated 426 samples from patients with hypereosinophilia of unknown significance initially referred for screening of the FIP1L1-PDGFRA (FP) fusion gene also for KIT D816V and JAK2 V617F mutations. Overall, 86 (20%) patients tested positive: FP+ in 55 (12%), KIT D816V+ in 14 (3%), and JAK2 V617F+ in 17 (4%) patients, respectively. To gain better insight into clinical characteristics, we compared these cases with 31 additional and well-characterized KIT D816V+ eosinophilia-associated systemic mastocytosis (SM-eo) patients enrolled within the "German Registry on Disorders of Eosinophils and Mast cells." Significant differences included younger age, male predominance, and higher eosinophil counts for FP+ cases while abdominal lymphadenopathy, ascites, and serum tryptase levels >100 μg/l were characteristic for those with KIT D816V. Leukocytes, hemoglobin, and splenomegaly did not differ significantly. A median of three additional mutations, most frequently TET2 and SRSF2, were identified in 12/13 KIT D816V+ SM-eo patients with available material indicating a more complex molecular pathogenesis. Median survival was not reached for FP+ cases but was only 26 and 41 months for KIT D816V+ SM and JAK2 V617F+ MPN-eo, respectively. Eosinophilia of ≥2 × 10(9) /l was identified as discriminator for inferior survival in KIT D816V+ and/or JAK2 V617F+ patients (median survival 20 months vs. not reached, P = 0.002). Thus, there is a clear prognostic and therapeutic rationale for detection of KIT D816V and JAK2 V617F in the diagnostic work up of eosinophilia.

Molecular profiling of myeloid progenitor cells in multi-mutated advanced systemic mastocytosis identifies KIT D816V as a distinct and late event

To explore the molecular profile and its prognostic implication in systemic mastocytosis (SM), we analyzed the mutation status of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming progenitor cells (CFU-GM) in patients with KIT D816V(+) indolent SM (ISM, n=4), smoldering SM (SSM, n=2), aggressive SM (ASM, n=1), SM with associated clonal hematologic non-mast cell lineage disorder (SM-AHNMD, n=5) and ASM-AHNMD (n=7). All patients with (A)SM-AHNMD (n=12) carried 1-4 (median 3) additional mutations in 11 genes tested, most frequently TET2, SRSF2, ASXL1, CBL and EZH2. In multi-mutated (A)SM-AHNMD, KIT D816V(+) single-cell-derived CFU-GM colonies were identified in 8/12 patients (median 60%, range 0-95). Additional mutations were identified in CFU-GM colonies in all patients, and logical hierarchy analysis indicated that mutations in TET2, SRSF2 and ASXL1 preceded KIT D816V. In ISM/SSM, no additional mutations were detected and CFU-GM colonies were exclusively KIT D816V(-). These data indicate that (a) (A)SM-AHNMD is a multi-mutated neoplasm, (b) mutations in TET2, SRSF2 or ASXL1 precede KIT D816V in ASM-AHNMD,

The KIT D816V expressed allele burden for diagnosis and disease monitoring of systemic mastocytosis

The activating KIT D816V mutation plays a central role in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and targeted treatment of systemic mastocytosis (SM). For improved and reliable identification of KIT D816V, we have developed an allele-specific quantitative real-time PCR (RQ-PCR) with an enhanced sensitivity of 0.01-0.1 %, which was superior to denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (0.5-1 %) or conventional sequencing (10-20 %). Overall, KIT D816 mutations were identified in 146/147 (99 %) of patients (D816V, n = 142; D816H, n = 2; D816Y, n = 2) with SM, including indolent SM (ISM, n = 63, 43 %), smoldering SM (n = 8, 5 %), SM with associated hematological non-mast cell lineage disease (SM-AHNMD, n = 16, 11 %), and aggressive SM/mast cell leukemia ± AHNMD (ASM/MCL, n = 60, 41 %). If positive in BM, the KIT D816V mutation was found in PB of all patients with advanced SM (SM-AHNMD, ASM, and MCL) and in 46 % (23/50) of patients with ISM. There was a strong correlation between the KIT D816V expressed allele burden (KIT D816V EAB) with results obtained from DNA by genomic allele-specific PCR and also with disease activity (e.g., serum tryptase level), disease subtype (e.g., indolent vs. advanced SM) and survival. In terms of monitoring of residual disease, qualitative and quantitative assessment of KIT D816V and KIT D816V EAB was successfully used for sequential analysis after chemotherapy or allogeneic stem cell transplantation. We therefore conclude that RQ-PCR assays for KIT D816V are useful complimentary tools for diagnosis, disease monitoring, and evaluation of prognosis in patients with SM.

Transcriptional interactions during barley susceptible genotype infection with Cochliobolus sativus

A systematic sequencing of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) was used to obtain a global picture of the assembly of barley genes differentially expressed during the hypersensitive reaction of a susceptible genotype in response to an incompatible Cochliobolus sativus pathovar. To identify a large number of plant ESTs, which are induced at different time points, an amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) display of complementary DNA (cDNA) was ulilized. Significant transcriptional changes in the host plant occurred already 4 h post inoculation. Four hundred and fifty six ESTs have been generated, of which 17 (c. 53% up-regulated, 47% down-regulated) have no previously described function. On one hand, the majority of EST-annotations showed protein synthesis, but genes related to signal transduction pathway were also identified. This study provides novel global catalogue ofgene regulations involved in C. sativus-barley interaction not currently represented in EST databases.

Heterogeneity in the ITS of the ribosomal DNA of Pyrenophora graminea isolates differing in xylanase and amylase production

Xylanase and amylase have gained increasing interest because of their various biotechnology applications. In this research, the restriction of PCR-amplified internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was used to confirm the genetic variation among 22 isolates of Pyrenophora graminea differing in their xylanase and amylase production. The fingerprints generated from the six restriction digestions of the rDNA ITS region showed high levels ofintraspecific variation within the P. graminea population. Neighbour-Joining diagram, based on Nei's genetic distances, showed that isolates formed two phylogenetic groups. No apparent association could be observed between xylanase and amylase production and genetic diversity among the twenty-two isolates.

Molecular and xylanolytic variation identified among strains of Pyrenophora graminea

The inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP) was used to confirm the genetic variation among 22 strains of Pyrenophora graminea differing in their xylanase production. A total of 162 bands were scored of which 151 (93.21%) were polymorphic. The molecular parameter used showed that P. graminea strains reside in four phylogenetic groups. There was observed the resolution between clustering strains and their xylanase production. Hence, the described approach presented here constitutes no prior assumption about the characterization of P. graminea strains differing in xylanase production.

Effect of additional carbon source and moisture level on xylanase production by Cochliobolus sativus in solid fermentation

The fungus Cochliobolus sativus has been shown to be an efficient producer ofxylanase from an industrial point ofview. The addition of extra carbon sources and the initial moisture content of the solid-state fermentation were found to have a marked influence on the xylanase production by C. sativus Cs6 strain. Xylan and starch resulted in an increased xylanase production (1469.4 and 1396.56 U/g, respectively) after 8 days of incubation. Optimal initial moisture content for xylanase production was 80%. The cultivation systems can easily be modified to enhance the productivity of the enzyme formation by C. sativus Cs6, which will facilitate the scale up processes for mass production.