Genomic aberrations in myelodysplastic syndromes and related disorders

Abstract

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) are heterogeneous myeloid neoplasms that frequently evolve into secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML). Recent progress in next-generation sequencing technologies has allowed us to discover frequent mutations throughout the coding regions of MDS, MDS/MPN, and sAML, subsequently providing information on more than 60 driver genes in these diseases. As shown by many study groups recently, such driver mutations are acquired in a gene-specific fashion. DDX41 and SAMD9/SAMD9L mutations are observed in germline cells long before MDS presentation. In blood samples from healthy elderly individuals, somatic DNMT3A, TET2, and ASXL1 mutations are detected as age-related clonal hematopoiesis and supposed to be a risk factor for hematological neoplasms. Recent reports on MDS have shown that mutations in genes such as NRAS and FLT3, designated as Type I genes, were significantly associated with leukemic evolution. Another type (Type II) of genes, including RUNX1 and GATA2, has been shown to be related to the progression from low-risk to high-risk MDS. These driver mutations are significantly concomitant during disease progression. Overall, various types of driver mutations are sequentially acquired in MDS, accounting for the heterogeneity of these disorders.