Abstract:
Deregulation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) has been implicated in the molecular pathogenesis of leukemia. Mutation of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3), a member of class III RTKs, has been reported to be the most frequent mutation in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the West. No data currently exists regarding the incidence and characteristics of FLT3 mutation in AML patients in Thailand or Southeast Asian countries. The objective of this study was to develop molecular methods to detect FLT3 mutation whereby its incidence in adult AML patients in Thailand could subsequently be determined. The clinical and laboratory parameters of patients with wild-type FLT3 and mutant FLT3 were also analyzed. Bone marrow or blood samples from 256 untreated adult AML patients were subject to RNA and DNA extraction. cDNA and genomic DNA were analyzed by RT-PCR and standard PCR, respectively, to detect FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation. FLT3-tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) mutations in codon 835 and 836 were screened by RFLP analysis using EcoRV enzyme. Dual mutations were characterized by RT-PCR followed by RFLP. The aberrant products of FLT3-ITD and FLT3-D835 mutation were identified by sequencing. Isolated ITD and TKD were identified in 63 (24.6%) and 8 (3.1%) of the cases, respectively. Dual mutations were found in 7 cases (2.7%). Sequence analysis of 14 ITD cases revealed that all duplicated fragments were in-frame duplications within the juxtamembrane region and the size varied from 7 to 67 amino acids. Interestingly, at least 1 SH2-binding motif including YFYV or YEYDLK was found. Six types of TKD mutations were identified with Asp835Tyr being the most frequent followed by Asp835His, Asp835Glu, Asp835Ala, and Ile836del. A novel mutation, Asp835del + Ile836Val was identified in one case. FLT3 mutations were mostly found in patients with a normal karyotype. FLT3-ITD was significantly associated with high peripheral white blood cells counts and shorter overall survival than wild type FLT3. Immunophenotypic profile did not differ between wild-type and mutant FLT3. The molecular approach to detect and characterize FLT3 mutations is now established in Thailand. FLT3 mutation is a unique and frequent molecular target in Thai AML patients and its incidence is as high as that of the western countries. The prognostic impact of the novel mutation identified in this study remains to be determined in a larger population. The high prevalence of FLT3 activating mutation in Thai patients makes it a potential target for novel therapy. It is hoped that the results of this study should be of value for future research and development of promising FLT3 inhibitory drugs that will lead to cure of our patients who are suffering and dying from this tragic disease.