Gene and miRNA expression profiles in Polycythemia Vera and Essential Thrombocythemia according to CALR and JAK2 mutations [GEP]
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ABSTRACT: Polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) are Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) characterized by erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis, respectively. Approximately 95% of PV and 50–70% of ET patients harbour the V617F mutation in the exon 14 of JAK2 gene, while about 20-30% of ET patients carry CALRins5 or CALRdel52 mutations. These ET CARL-mutated subjects show higher platelet count and lower thrombotic risk compared to JAK2-mutated patients. Here we showed that CALR-mutated and JAK2V617F-positive CD34+ cells have different gene and miRNA expression profiles. Indeed, we highlighted several pathways differentially activated between JAK2V617F- and CALR-mutated progenitors, i.e. mTOR, MAPK/PI3K and MYC pathways. Furthermore, we unveiled that the expression of several genes involved in DNA repair, chromatin remodelling, splicing and chromatid cohesion are decreased in CALR-mutated cells. According to the low risk of thrombosis in CALR-mutated patients, we also found the down-regulation of several genes involved in thrombin signalling and platelet activation. As a whole, these data support the model in which CALR-mutated ET could be considered as a distinct disease entity from JAK2V617F-positive MPNs and may provide the molecular basis supporting the different clinical features of these patients.
Project description:Polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) are Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) characterized by erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis, respectively. Approximately 95% of PV and 50–70% of ET patients harbour the V617F mutation in the exon 14 of JAK2 gene, while about 20-30% of ET patients carry CALRins5 or CALRdel52 mutations. These ET CARL-mutated subjects show higher platelet count and lower thrombotic risk compared to JAK2-mutated patients. Here we showed that CALR-mutated and JAK2V617F-positive CD34+ cells have different gene and miRNA expression profiles. Indeed, we highlighted several pathways differentially activated between JAK2V617F- and CALR-mutated progenitors, i.e. mTOR, MAPK/PI3K and MYC pathways. Furthermore, we unveiled that the expression of several genes involved in DNA repair, chromatin remodelling, splicing and chromatid cohesion are decreased in CALR-mutated cells. According to the low risk of thrombosis in CALR-mutated patients, we also found the down-regulation of several genes involved in thrombin signalling and platelet activation. As a whole, these data support the model in which CALR-mutated ET could be considered as a distinct disease entity from JAK2V617F-positive MPNs and may provide the molecular basis supporting the different clinical features of these patients.
Project description:We used expression profiling, SNP arrays, and mutational profiling to investigate a well-characterized cohort of MPN patients. MPN patients with homozygous JAK2V617F mutations were characterized by a distinctive transcriptional profile. Notably, a transcriptional signature consistent with activated JAK2 signaling is seen in all MPN patients regardless of clinical phenotype or mutational status. In addition, the activated JAK2 signature was present in patients with somatic CALR mutations. Conversely, we identified a gene expression signature of CALR mutations; this signature was significantly enriched in JAK2-mutant MPN patients consistent with a shared mechanism of transformation by JAK2 and CALR mutations. We also identified a transcriptional signature of TET2 mutations in MPN patent samples. Our data indicate that MPN patients, regardless of diagnosis or JAK mutational status are characterized by a distinct gene expression signature with upregulation of JAK-STAT target genes, demonstrating the central importance of the JAK-STAT pathway in MPN pathogenesis. [MPN patients] We have performed microarray gene expression analysis in 93 patients with MPNs (28 PV, 47 ET, 18 MF) and 11 age-matched normal donors.
Project description:Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) consist of primary myelofibrosis (PMF), polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) In this dataset, we compare the gene expression data of patients JAK2V617F vs. CALR-mutated MPN patients.
Project description:Primary mielofibrosis (PMF) is a rare chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterized by the accumulation of abnormal megakaryocytes (Mks) in the bone marrow (BM), variable degrees of BM fibrosis, osteosclerosis and angiogenesis, immature myeloid and erythroid cells, and tear-drop erythrocytes in the peripheral blood (PB), and extramedullary hematopoiesis. The identification of the JAK2V617F mutation represented a seminal discovery in the field of Philadelphia-chromosome–negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), providing clues to the pathogenesis, prompting a revision of the diagnostic criteria, and culminating in the development of clinical trials with JAK2 (and JAK1) inhibitors. The JAK2V617F mutation occurs in almost all patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and in 50%-70% of those with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). Soon after the identification of the JAK2V617F mutation, mutations in JAK2 exon 12 were described in rare patients with JAK2V617F-negative PV and mutations in MPL were reported in 5%-10% of ET or PMF subjects. The complexity of the molecular pathogenesis of MPNs is reinforced by discovery of additional mutations in TET2, ASXL1, CBL, IDH1/IDH2, EZH2 and IKZF1. These mutations are detected in a minority of patients at different phases of the disorder, including leukemic transformation, and are variably associated each other and with JAK2 or MPL mutations. In order to better characterize biological differences between mutated and wild-type PMF cell populations we performed a gene expression profiling on 9 samples carrying at least one mutation in ASXL1, SRSF2 or EZH2 genes and 11 wild-type samples using the Affymetrix GeneChip technology. After data preprocessing and filtering a supervised analysis approach was used to define a gene expression signature for mutated samples. PMF samples carrying at least one mutation in ASXL1, SRSF2 or EZH2 genes exhibit a specific molecular signature as compared with WT samples. Gene expression profile (GEP) of CD34+ cells from 20 PMF patients (1 replicate for each sample). In particular, GEP was performed on 9 samples carrying at least one mutation in ASXL1, SRSF2 or EZH2 genes and 11 wild-type samples.
Project description:Primary mielofibrosis (PMF) is a rare chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterized by the accumulation of abnormal megakaryocytes (Mks) in the bone marrow (BM), variable degrees of BM fibrosis, osteosclerosis and angiogenesis, immature myeloid and erythroid cells, and tear-drop erythrocytes in the peripheral blood (PB), and extramedullary hematopoiesis. The identification of the JAK2V617F mutation represented a seminal discovery in the field of Philadelphia-chromosome–negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), providing clues to the pathogenesis, prompting a revision of the diagnostic criteria, and culminating in the development of clinical trials with JAK2 (and JAK1) inhibitors. The JAK2V617F mutation occurs in almost all patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and in 50%-70% of those with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). Soon after the identification of the JAK2V617F mutation, mutations in JAK2 exon 12 were described in rare patients with JAK2V617F-negative PV and mutations in MPL were reported in 5%-10% of ET or PMF subjects. The complexity of the molecular pathogenesis of MPNs is reinforced by discovery of additional mutations in TET2, ASXL1, CBL, IDH1/IDH2, EZH2 and IKZF1. These mutations are detected in a minority of patients at different phases of the disorder, including leukemic transformation, and are variably associated each other and with JAK2 or MPL mutations. In order to better characterize biological differences between mutated and wild-type PMF cell populations we performed a gene expression profiling on 9 samples carrying at least one mutation in ASXL1, SRSF2 or EZH2 genes and 11 wild-type samples using the Affymetrix GeneChip technology. After data preprocessing and filtering a supervised analysis approach was used to define a gene expression signature for mutated samples. PMF samples carrying at least one mutation in ASXL1, SRSF2 or EZH2 genes exhibit a specific molecular signature as compared with WT samples.
Project description:We used expression profiling, SNP arrays, and mutational profiling to investigate a well-characterized cohort of MPN patients. MPN patients with homozygous JAK2V617F mutations were characterized by a distinctive transcriptional profile. Notably, a transcriptional signature consistent with activated JAK2 signaling is seen in all MPN patients regardless of clinical phenotype or mutational status. In addition, the activated JAK2 signature was present in patients with somatic CALR mutations. Conversely, we identified a gene expression signature of CALR mutations; this signature was significantly enriched in JAK2-mutant MPN patients consistent with a shared mechanism of transformation by JAK2 and CALR mutations. We also identified a transcriptional signature of TET2 mutations in MPN patent samples. Our data indicate that MPN patients, regardless of diagnosis or JAK mutational status are characterized by a distinct gene expression signature with upregulation of JAK-STAT target genes, demonstrating the central importance of the JAK-STAT pathway in MPN pathogenesis. [HEL cell lines] We have performed gene expression profiling in the JAK2V617F homozygous mutant HEL cell line following treatment with 2 independent shRNAs targeting JAK2 or 2 different control shRNAs
Project description:Pegylated interferon-alpha (peg-IFNa) treatment induces molecular remissions (MR) in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), including partial MR (PMR) in 30-40% of patients. Here, we compared the efficacy of IFNa treatment in JAK2V617F vs. CALR-mutated cells and investigated the mechanisms of differential response. Retrospective analysis of MPN patients treated with peg-IFNa demonstrated that patients harboring the JAK2V617F mutation were more likely to achieve PMR than those with mutated CALR (p=0.004), while there was no significant difference in hematological response. In vitro experiments confirmed an upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes in JAK2V617F-positive 32D cells compared to their CALR-mutated counterparts, and higher IFNa doses were needed to achieve the same IFNa response in CALR- as in JAK2V617F mutant 32D cells.
Project description:Mutant JAK2V617F is found in majority of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm. While heterozygous JAK2V617F induced an ET-like phenotype, JAK2V617F homozygosity drives an severe PV-like phenotype in knock-in mice. HSCs from mice with homozygous JAK2V617F expression show impaired self-renewal in transplants. To understand the molecular mechanisms involved this HSC functional defect, microarray was performed on isolated LT-HSCs from mice expressing wildtype, heterozygous and homozygous expression of mutant JAK2.
Project description:Disease frameshift mutations of calreticulin (CALR) are the second most prevalent driver mutations in essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). To identify potential targeted therapies for CALR mutated myeloproliferative neoplasms, we aimed to search for small molecule drugs that selectively inhibit the growth of CALR mutated cells using high-throughput drug screening. We investigated 89,172 compounds using isogenic cell lines and identified several hits targeting the ATR-CHK1 pathway. The selective inhibitory effect of these candidate compounds was validated in a co-culture assay of CALR mutated and wild type cells. Of the tested hit compounds, CHK1 inhibitors potently depleted CALR mutated cells, allowing CALR wild type cell dominance in the co-culture over time. Neither CALR deficient cells nor JAK2V617F mutated cells showed hypersensitivity to the drug treatment, suggesting that the vulnerability to ATR-CHK1 inhibition is specifically caused by the oncogenic activation by the mutant CALR. CHK1 inhibitors induced replication stress in CALR mutated cells revealed by elevated pan-nuclear staining for γH2AX and hyperphosphorylation of RPA2. They also promoted S-phase cell cycle arrest and blocked the completion of DNA replication in CALR mutated cells. Transcriptomic and phosphoproteomic analyses revealed a replication stress signature caused by the oncogenic CALR mutation, suggesting an intrinsic vulnerability of these cells to CHK1 perturbation. This study indicates that ATR-CHK1 pathway is a potential therapeutic target in CALR mutated hematopoietic cells.
Project description:Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) arise via the acquisition of a driver mutation in a single hematopoietic stem cell (HSC), often decades prior to the development of a clinical phenotype. The most common MPN driver mutation, JAK2V617F, activates aberrant JAK/STAT signaling via cytokine receptors critical for myelopoiesis. Over time, this MPN HSC clone outcompetes its normal counterparts, leading to excessive myeloid cell production and contributes to lymphopenia in patients with MPNs and leades to elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), which is predictive of disease-related complications including thrombosis and mortality. We conducted this study to learn how hematopoiesis from the JAK2V617F clone affects lymphopoiesis in patients with MPNs. Although myeloid proliferation via aberrant JAK2 signaling is the most apparent mechanistic link between JAK2V617F and MPN phenotypes, our findings demonstrate that impaired lymphoid differentiation is an additional feature of JAK2V617F hematopoiesis, leading to the rarity of JAK2V617F lymphocytes despite the dominance of JAK2V617F HSCs in patients with MPNs. The combination of prolific myelopoiesis and defective lymphopoiesis from the JAK2V617F clone is a potential connection between MPN pathology and the surrogate markers, including NLR and lymphopenia, which hold prognostic significance. Based on our data, we speculate that, defective JAK2V617F lymphopoiesis and the consequent increased burden of lymphopoiesis from residual normal HSC clones drives the appearance of abnormal lymphocyte subsets, lymphoproliferative disease or T cell exhaustion in MPNs. Further study of MPN lymphopoiesis provides an opportunity to define the immune deficits underlying the myriad complications that affect patients with MPNs.