C-Cbl but Not TET2 Mutations Are Present in Patients with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia.

Abstract 420

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a distinct subtype of myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative disorder (MDS/MPD) which, in analogy to chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), is characterized by excessive proliferation of myelomonocytic cells, but unlike CMML it occurs in young children and shows characteristic hypersensitivity to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Chromosomal defect are present in 22% of patients in particular involving del7/7q. Mutations of genes involved in GM-CSF signal transduction, including RAS and PTPN11, can be identified in a majority of children with JMML, constitutional mutations of NF1 can be found in another 10% of patients with JMML, but in significant proportion of patients no molecular lesions were identified. To further clarify the molecular pathogenesis of JMML we have applied a high density SNP array-based karyptyping and screened for associated mutations including established defected in RAS, PTPN11 and NF1 but also c-Cbl and TET genes, recently identified in patients with CMML and MDS/MPD.

We studied 49 children with JMML diagnosed between 1988 and 2008 in 28 institutions throughout Japan. The median age at diagnosis was 28 months (range, 1-75 months). Karyotypic abnormalities were detected in 11 patients, including 7 patients with monosomy 7. Two children had clinical evidence of NF1 mutations. Out of 49 patients, 32 received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

We performed mutational analysis of the genes known to be affected by mutations in JMML. PTPN11 mutations were found in 26/49 (53%) while NRAS and KRAS mutations were found in 2/49 (4%) and 1/49 (2%), respectively. None of the patients screened showed the presence of TET2 mutations, previously shown to be present in a significant proportion of patients with MDS/MPD, including CMML.

High-density Affymetrix 250K single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-A) were applied as a karyotyping platform to identify LOH and submicroscopic copy number changes. Signal intensity was analyzed and SNP calls determined using Gene Chip Genotyping Analysis Software Version 4.0 (GTYPE). Copy number and areas of UPD were investigated using Hidden Markov Model and CNAG v3.0 software. Compared to the results of conventional metaphase cytogenetics (MC), SNP-A identified significantly more genetic abnormalities (25% vs 49%; p=.02). In 1 patient UPD17q was present ivolving NF1 locus. In 4 patients UPD11q involving c-cbl locus (11q23.1) was found.

Sequencing of c-Cbl gene family revealed mutations of c-Cbl in 5/49 (10%), and no Cbl-b mutations. All but 1 mutations were homozygous and were located in the RFD (exon 8 and intron 8). C-Cbl mutations were mutually exclusive with PTPN11, NRAS, and KRAS mutations or had clinical diagnosis of NF1. Unlike in CMML, no UPD4q24 or homo- or heterozygous TET2 mutations were found. Histomorphologic analysis did not reveal any distinct c-Cbl mutation-associated features or differences in count between patients grouped based on the presence of specific mutations. Similarly, there were no differences in gender, or the presence of cytogenetic abnormalities and the probability of 2 year overall survival of c-Cbl mutant cases between patients grouped according to mutational status. All patients with c-Cbl mutations displayed GM-CSF hypersensitivity at initial presentation but did not differ in this feature from the remaining JMML patients. However, mutant c-Cbl cases showed earlier presentation (median age 12 months vs. 29 months, p = .037) and lower median hemoglobin F fraction (3.5 % vs. 25%, p=.02). In sum, c-Cbl mutations constitute a novel important pathogenic lesion in JMML. While their presence suggests functional similarity to CMML, absence of TET2 mutation in JMML and rarity of PTPN11 mutations in CMML constitute important distinctive features of both diseases.