U2AF1 mutations In Primary Myelofibrosis Cluster With Normal Karyotype and JAK2V617F and Are Strongly Associated With Anemia and Thrombocytopenia

Spliceosome pathway gene mutations are recurrent in myeloid malignancies with the highest frequencies reported for myelodysplastic syndromes associated with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS; 85%), MDS without RS (44%) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML; 55%) (Nature 2011;478:64). SF3B1 mutations were the most frequent (75%) in MDS-RS and SRSF2 mutations in CMML (28%); U2AF1 mutational frequencies were 12% in MDS without RS and 8% in CMML. We have previously described SRSF2 (Blood. 2012;120:4168) and SF3B1 (Leukemia. 2012;26:1135) mutations in 17% and 6.5% of patients with primary myelofibrosis (PMF); prognostic relevance was shown for the former but not the latter.

The objectives of the current study were to i) describe the incidence of U2AF1 mutations in PMF and their correlation with clinical features, karyotype and other mutations and ii) examine the prognostic significance of U2AF1 mutations in PMF, in the context of both conventional prognostic models and other prognostically-relevant mutations.

Information on clinical and laboratory parameters and karyotype was available in all study patients, at time of referral, which coincided with time of sample collection for mutation screening. Risk stratification was according to the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS)-plus system. U2AF1 and other mutations were analyzed using standard PCR techniques and bidirectional sequencing; for U2AF1, two hot spots that included residues S34 and Q157 were amplified.

A total of 251 PMF patients (median age 63 years; 160 males) were studied. DIPSS-plus risk distribution was high in 32%, intermediate-2 in 38%, intermediate-1 in 17% and low in 13% of the patients. The frequency of each DIPSS-plus adverse feature was as follows: age >65 years (42%), transfusion need (32%), hemoglobin <10 g/dL (47%), leukocyte count >25 x 10(9)/L, (16%), platelet count <100 x 10(9)/L (22%), ≥1% blasts (57%), constitutional symptoms (35%), and unfavorable karyotype (9%). Karyotype was normal in 156 (63%) patients. At a median follow-up of 48 months, 158 (63%) deaths and 27 (11%) leukemic transformations were recorded.

Forty-one (16.3%) patients harbored U2AF1 mutations: 16 (39%) Q157P, 10 (24%) Q157R, 8 (20%) S34F, 4 (10%) S34Y and one each for Q157P/E159A, Q157R/S34Y and Q157-Y158insYE. Frequencies for other mutations were 11% for SRSF2, 7.3% for SF3B1, 31% for ASXL1, 5.5% for EZH2, 5% for IDH1/2 and 58% for JAK2V617F. U2AF1 mutations were usually, but not always, exclusive of other spliceosomal mutations: one patient expressed all three spliceosomal mutations. The frequency of any one of the three spliceosomal mutations was 34%.

U2AF1 mutations were significantly associated with older age (p=0.02), JAK2V617F (p=0.002), mutant ASXL1 (p=0.04), transfusion need (p<0.0001), hemoglobin <10 g/dL (p<0.0001), platelets <100 x 10(9)/L (p<0.0001) and normal karyotype (p=0.006). The associations with anemia, thrombocytopenia, JAK2V617F and normal karyotype were inter-independent; the frequency of U2AF1 mutations in the presence of anemia was 29%, transfusion need 36%, thrombocytopenia 35%, JAK2V617F 23% and normal karyotype 21%.

U2AF1 mutations were associated with inferior overall (p=0.004) but not leukemia-free (p=0.6) survival. However, the survival association was fully accounted for by the above-mentioned clustering of U2AF1 mutations with anemia and thrombocytopenia. Similarly, although multivariable analysis of U2AF1, SRSF2, ASXL1, EZH2 and IDH mutations identified the first three as being independently predictive of poor survival, only ASXL1 and SRSF2 remained significant when either anemia or thrombocytopenia was included as a co-variate.

U2AF1 mutations are the most frequent spliceosome pathway mutations in PMF, cluster with normal karyotype and JAK2V617F, and are strongly associated with anemia and thrombocytopenia; the latter suggests a pathogenetic contribution to ineffective hematopoiesis in PMF. The current study also suggests that more than one third of patients with PMF carry a spliceosome mutation.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.