Weaver syndrome is an overgrowth syndrome characterized by pre- and postnatal overgrowth with distinctive craniofacial appearance. Mutations in the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) gene were found to cause Weaver syndrome, and have been associated with hematologic malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We present the first report of a patient with Weaver syndrome, who developed AML and harbored an EZH2 mutation. The clinical course of the 16-year-old female adolescent patient was complicated by a secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Genomic DNA was isolated from bone marrow cells at AML diagnosis. Polymerase chain reactions were performed with primers covering all exons of the EZH2 gene. We found a novel heterozygous EZH2 mutation within exon 5 that caused an amino acid change from proline to leucine at position 132 (p.Pro132Leu) within the catalytic D1 domain. Analysis of a remission sample also showed this mutation, indicating a germline mutation. It remains to be elucidated whether EZH2 mutations contribute to disease severity in specific AML cases.
Keywords: EZH2; Weaver syndrome; acute myeloid leukemia; hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis; malignancy; overgrowth.
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