Somatic thrombopoietin (THPO) gene mutations in childhood myeloid leukemias.

We report, for the first time, a non-syndromic infant with a reversible myeloproliferative disease that harbors a germline hereditary thrombopoietin (THPO) gene mutation, a condition that is known to induce familial thrombocytosis at increasing age. In order to investigate whether somatic THPO gene mutations play a role in sporadic pediatric myeloproliferative diseases, we performed a mutation screening of a large representative cohort of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia, myeloid leukemia of Down syndrome, and juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia samples and show that gain-of-function THPO mutations are extremely rare in sporadic pediatric myeloproliferative diseases.

t(6;9)(p22;q34)/DEK-NUP214-rearranged pediatric myeloid leukemia: an international study of 62 patients.

Acute myeloid leukemia with t(6;9)(p22;q34) is listed as a distinct entity in the 2008 World Health Organization classification, but little is known about the clinical implications of t(6;9)-positive myeloid leukemia in children. This international multicenter study presents the clinical and genetic characteristics of 62 pediatric patients with t(6;9)/DEK-NUP214-rearranged myeloid leukemia; 54 diagnosed as having acute myeloid leukemia, representing <1% of all childhood acute myeloid leukemia, and eight as having myelodysplastic syndrome. The t(6;9)/DEK-NUP214 was associated with relatively late onset (median age 10.4 years), male predominance (sex ratio 1.7), French-American-British M2 classification (54%), myelodysplasia (100%), and FLT3-ITD (42%). Outcome was substantially better than previously reported with a 5-year event-free survival of 32%, 5-year overall survival of 53%, and a 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse of 57%. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in first complete remission improved the 5-year event-free survival compared with chemotherapy alone (68% versus 18%; P<0.01) but not the overall survival (68% versus 54%; P=0.48). The presence of FLT3-ITD had a non-significant negative effect on 5-year overall survival compared with non-mutated cases (22% versus 62%; P=0.13). Gene expression profiling showed a unique signature characterized by significantly higher expression of EYA3, SESN1, PRDM2/RIZ, and HIST2H4 genes. In conclusion, t(6;9)/DEK-NUP214 represents a unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia with a high risk of relapse, high frequency of FLT3-ITD, and a specific gene expression signature.

Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia with t(8;16)(p11;p13), a distinct clinical and biological entity: a collaborative study by the International-Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster AML-study group.

In pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML), cytogenetic abnormalities are strong indicators of prognosis. Some recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities, such as t(8;16)(p11;p13), are so rare that collaborative studies are required to define their prognostic impact. We collected the clinical characteristics, morphology, and immunophenotypes of 62 pediatric AML patients with t(8;16)(p11;p13) from 18 countries participating in the International Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (I-BFM) AML study group. We used the AML-BFM cohort diagnosed from 1995-2005 (n = 543) as a reference cohort. Median age of the pediatric t(8;16)(p11;p13) AML patients was significantly lower (1.2 years). The majority (97%) had M4-M5 French-American-British type, significantly different from the reference cohort. Erythrophagocytosis (70%), leukemia cutis (58%), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (39%) occurred frequently. Strikingly, spontaneous remissions occurred in 7 neonates with t(8;16)(p11;p13), of whom 3 remain in continuous remission. The 5-year overall survival of patients diagnosed after 1993 was 59%, similar to the reference cohort (P = .14). Gene expression profiles of t(8;16)(p11;p13) pediatric AML cases clustered close to, but distinct from, MLL-rearranged AML. Highly expressed genes included HOXA11, HOXA10, RET, PERP, and GGA2. In conclusion, pediatric t(8;16)(p11;p13) AML is a rare entity defined by a unique gene expression signature and distinct clinical features in whom spontaneous remissions occur in a subset of neonatal cases.

No significant prognostic value of normal precursor B-cell regeneration in paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia after induction treatment.

B-cell precursors (BCP) regeneration in bone marrow (BM) after induction chemotherapy is prognostic for good treatment response in adult acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). We detected BCP regeneration in 81% of 59 paediatric AML patients at first complete remission; this compared to 46% in an adult study. BCP regeneration did not correlate with outcome or minimal residual disease levels. In 36 healthy BM controls, BCP levels were significantly higher in children as compared to adults. Therefore, BCP regeneration does not reflect good response to treatment in paediatric AML, possibly due to the relatively high base-line levels of BCP in children.

Engagement of SIRPα inhibits growth and induces programmed cell death in acute myeloid leukemia cells.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies show the importance of interactions between CD47 expressed on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and the inhibitory immunoreceptor, signal regulatory protein-alpha (SIRPα) on macrophages. Although AML cells express SIRPα, its function has not been investigated in these cells. In this study we aimed to determine the role of the SIRPα in acute myeloid leukemia. DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed the expression of SIRPα, both on mRNA and protein level in AML patients and we further investigated whether the expression of SIRPα on two low SIRPα expressing AML cell lines could be upregulated upon differentiation of the cells. We determined the effect of chimeric SIRPα expression on tumor cell growth and programmed cell death by its triggering with an agonistic antibody in these cells. Moreover, we examined the efficacy of agonistic antibody in combination with established antileukemic drugs. RESULTS: By microarray analysis of an extensive cohort of primary AML samples, we demonstrated that SIRPα is differentially expressed in AML subgroups and its expression level is dependent on differentiation stage, with high levels in FAB M4/M5 AML and low levels in FAB M0-M3. Interestingly, AML patients with high SIRPα expression had a poor prognosis. Our results also showed that SIRPα is upregulated upon differentiation of NB4 and Kasumi cells. In addition, triggering of SIRPα with an agonistic antibody in the cells stably expressing chimeric SIRPα, led to inhibition of growth and induction of programmed cell death. Finally, the SIRPα-derived signaling synergized with the activity of established antileukemic drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that triggering of SIRPα has antileukemic effect and may function as a potential therapeutic target in AML.

CBL mutations do not frequently occur in paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia.

RAS-pathway mutations, causing a proliferative advantage, occur in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and MLL-rearranged leukaemia. Recently, mutations in the Casitas B lineage lymphoma (CBL) gene were reported to be involved in RAS-pathway activation in various myeloid malignancies, but their role in paediatric AML is still unknown. We performed mutation analysis of 283 newly diagnosed and 33 relapsed paediatric AML cases. Only two mutant cases (0·7%) were identified in the newly diagnosed paediatric AML samples, of which one was MLL-rearranged. Both mutant cases showed CBL mRNA expression in the range of the non-mutated cases. Phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) was not correlated with CBL protein expression (n = 11). In conclusion, we report a very low CBL mutation frequency in paediatric AML, which, together with the lack of difference in protein and mRNA expression, illustrates the limited role of CBL in paediatric AML.

Prognostic significance of additional cytogenetic aberrations in 733 de novo pediatric 11q23/MLL-rearranged AML patients: results of an international study.

We previously demonstrated that outcome of pediatric 11q23/MLL-rearranged AML depends on the translocation partner (TP). In this multicenter international study on 733 children with 11q23/MLL-rearranged AML, we further analyzed which additional cytogenetic aberrations (ACA) had prognostic significance. ACAs occurred in 344 (47%) of 733 and were associated with unfavorable outcome (5-year overall survival [OS] 47% vs 62%, P < .001). Trisomy 8, the most frequent specific ACA (n = 130/344, 38%), independently predicted favorable outcome within the ACAs group (OS 61% vs 39%, P = .003; Cox model for OS hazard ratio (HR) 0.54, P = .03), on the basis of reduced relapse rate (26% vs 49%, P < .001). Trisomy 19 (n = 37/344, 11%) independently predicted poor prognosis in ACAs cases, which was partly caused by refractory disease (remission rate 74% vs 89%, P = .04; OS 24% vs 50%, P < .001; HR 1.77, P = .01). Structural ACAs had independent adverse prognostic value for event-free survival (HR 1.36, P = .01). Complex karyotype, defined as ≥ 3 abnormalities, was present in 26% (n = 192/733) and showed worse outcome than those without complex karyotype (OS 45% vs 59%, P = .003) in univariate analysis only. In conclusion, like TP, specific ACAs have independent prognostic significance in pediatric 11q23/MLL-rearranged AML, and the mechanism underlying these prognostic differences should be studied.

KIAA1524: A novel MLL translocation partner in acute myeloid leukemia.

The Mixed Lineage Leukemia gene on chromosome 11q23 is a frequent site of recurrent translocations in acute leukemias. Its promiscuous character is reflected by the more than 60 different translocation partners described in literature. Prompted by karyotype and atypical FISH results, we identified a new translocation partner in infant acute myeloid leukemia, KIAA1524 on 3q13.13, also known as 'Cancerous Inhibitor of Protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A)'. This gene was recently identified as a proto-oncogene stabilizing MYC protein in gastric carcinoma. KIAA1524 has never been related to hematologic malignancies before, and the current AML case is the first case in which an MLL-KIAA1524 fusion was described.

High IGSF4 expression in pediatric M5 acute myeloid leukemia with t(9;11)(p22;q23).

Pediatric mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL)-rearranged acute monoblastic leukemia with t(9;11)(p22;q23) has a favorable outcome compared with other MLL-rearranged AML. The biologic background for this difference remains unknown. Therefore, we compared gene expression profiles (GEPs; Affymetrix HGU133 + 2.0) of 26 t(9;11)(p22;q23) patients with 42 other MLL-rearranged AML patients to identify differentially expressed genes. IGSF4, a cell-cell adhesion molecule, was found to be highly expressed in t(9;11)(p22;q23) patients, which was confirmed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. IGSF4 expression within t(9;11)(p22;q23) patients was 4.9 times greater in French-American-British morphology classification (FAB)-M5 versus other FAB-types (P = .001). Methylation status investigation showed that high IGSF4-expressing t(9;11)(p22;q23) patients with FAB-M5 have no promoter hypermethylation, whereas all other cases do. Cell-line incubation with demethylating agent decitabine resulted in promoter demethylation and increased expression of IGSF4. Down-regulation of IGSF4 by siRNA did not affect proliferation or drug sensitivity. In a cohort of 79 MLL-rearranged AML cases, we show significant better overall survival for cases with high IGSF4 expression (5-year overall survival 0.70 vs 0.37, P = .03) In conclusion, we identified IGSF4 overexpression to be discriminative for t(9;11)(p22;q23) patients with FAB-M5, regulated partially by promoter methylation and resulting in survival benefit.