An acquired G-CSF receptor mutation results in increased proliferation of CMML cells from a patient with severe congenital neutropenia

Leukemia. 2005 Apr;19(4):611-7. doi: 10.1038/sj.leu.2403663.

Abstract

Severe congenital neutropenia (CN) is characterized by a maturation arrest of myelopoiesis at the promyelocyte stage. Treatment with pharmacological doses of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rh-G-CSF) stimulates neutrophil production and decreases the risk of major infectious complications. However, approximately 15% of CN patients develop myeloid malignancies that have been associated with somatic mutations in the G-CSF receptor (G-CSFR) and RAS genes as well as with acquired monosomy 7. We report a CN patient with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) who never received rh-G-CSF. Molecular analysis demonstrated a somatic G-CSFR mutation (C2390T), which led to expression of a truncated G-CSFR protein in the CMML. Normal G-CSFR expression was unexpectedly absent in primary and cultured CMML. In addition, CMML cells showed monosomy 7 and an oncogenic NRAS mutation. In vitro culture revealed a G-CSF-dependent proliferation of CMML cells, which subsequently differentiated along the monocytic/macrophage lineage. Our results provide direct evidence for the in vivo expression of a truncated G-CSFR in leukemic cells, which emerged in the absence of rh-G-CSF treatment and transduces proliferative signals.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Cell Division
  • Genes, ras / genetics
  • Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Chronic / genetics*
  • Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Chronic / pathology*
  • Male
  • Neutropenia / congenital
  • Neutropenia / genetics*
  • Neutropenia / pathology*
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Receptors, Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / genetics*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger
  • Receptors, Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
  • Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor