Myeloproliferative neoplasm induced by constitutive expression of JAK2V617F in knock-in mice

Blood. 2010 Aug 5;116(5):783-7. doi: 10.1182/blood-2009-12-257063. Epub 2010 May 14.

Abstract

The Jak2(V617F) mutation is found in most classical BCR/ABL-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Usually, heterozygosity of the mutation is associated with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and homozygosity with polycythemia vera (PV). Retrovirally transduced or transgenic animal models have shown that the mutation is sufficient for MPN development but that the level of expression is crucial for MPN phenotypes. Therefore we investigated the effect of an endogenous heterozygous expression of Jak2(V617F) in knock-in (KI) mice. These animals displayed constitutive JAK2 activation and autonomous erythroid progenitor cell growth. Mice suffered from marked polycythemia, granulocytosis and thrombocytosis. Spleens and marrows displayed myeloid trilineage hyperplasia. Most animals survived to develop advanced fibrosis in these organs at around 9 months of age. In conclusion, constitutive heterozygous expression of JAK2(V617F) in mice is not embryo-lethal but results in severe PV-like disease with secondary myelofibrosis and not in ET-like disease as expected from patient study.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow / pathology
  • Cell Lineage
  • Crosses, Genetic
  • Gene Knock-In Techniques
  • Heterozygote
  • Humans
  • Hyperplasia
  • Janus Kinase 2 / genetics*
  • Janus Kinase 2 / physiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Mutation, Missense
  • Myeloproliferative Disorders / enzymology
  • Myeloproliferative Disorders / etiology*
  • Myeloproliferative Disorders / genetics
  • Point Mutation
  • Polycythemia Vera / enzymology
  • Polycythemia Vera / genetics*
  • Primary Myelofibrosis / enzymology
  • Primary Myelofibrosis / etiology
  • Primary Myelofibrosis / genetics
  • Spleen / pathology
  • Thrombocythemia, Essential / enzymology
  • Thrombocythemia, Essential / genetics

Substances

  • JAK2 protein, human
  • Janus Kinase 2