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Clonal analysis of haemopoietic cells in essential thrombocythaemia
Author(s) -
KASSAR NAHED EL,
HETET GILLES,
LI YAN,
BRIERE JEAN,
GRANDCHAMP BERNARD
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1995.tb03391.x
Subject(s) - biology , haematopoiesis , megakaryocytopoiesis , monoclonal , immunology , x inactivation , loss of heterozygosity , exon , genetics , x chromosome , monoclonal antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , stem cell , megakaryocyte , gene , antibody , allele
Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) is a myeloproliferative disease (MPD) predominantly involving the platelet lineage, with a diagnosis often difficult to establish in practice. The demonstration of a clonal haemopoiesis can contribute to diagnosis. The clonal origin of blood cells can be assessed in female patients using X‐chromosome‐linked polymorphisms, assuming a random inactivation of the X chromosome. The human androgen receptor gene HUMARA has been used for this purpose, taking advantage of a highly polymorphic trinucleotide repeat in the first exon. The close proximity of the polymorphic trinucleotide repeat to four methylation sites permits a clonal analysis based on the polymerase chain reaction. We have used this technique to study the clonality of haemopoietic cells in 32 patients with ET and 23 age‐matched control heterozygotes for the HUMARA polymorphism. A monoclonal pattern of haemo‐poiesis was detected in unfractionated nucleated blood cells from 22 patients, suggesting that haemopoiesis is essentially monoclonal in a majority of cases in this disease. In some patients a monoclonality of granulocytes was documented, whereas the mononuclear fraction had a polyclonal pattern of X‐inactivation. Finally, in two patients for whom a polyclonality had been found in unfractionated blood, analysis of G6PD transcripts in platelets revealed a clonal megakaryocytopoiesis. These findings confirm the heterogeneity of haematological abnormalities in ET patients and the potential utility of a multifaceted laboratory approach to investigate these patients.