Germ line PTPN11 mutations cause 50% of cases of Noonan syndrome (NS). Somatic mutations in PTPN11 occur in 35% of patients with de novo, nonsyndromic juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). Myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs), either transient or more fulminant forms, can also occur in infants with NS (NS/MPD). We identified PTPN11 mutations in blood or bone marrow specimens from 77 newly reported patients with JMML (n ؍ 69) or NS/MPD (n ؍ 8). Together with previous reports, we compared the spectrum of PTPN11 mutations in 3 groups: (1) patients with JMML (n ؍ 107); (2) patients with NS/MPD (n ؍ 19); and (3) patients with NS (n ؍ 243). Glu76 was the most commonly affected residue in JMML (n ؍ 45), with the Glu76Lys alteration (n ؍ 29) being most frequent. Eight of 19 patients with NS/ MPD carried the Thr73Ile substitution. These data suggest that there is a genotype/phenotype correlation in the spectrum of PTPN11
IntroductionThe PTPN11 proto-oncogene encodes Src-homology tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP-2), a protein tyrosine phosphatase with a role in signal transduction and hematopoiesis. 1,2 Somatic PTPN11 mutations exist in 35% of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) specimens and are less frequent in other leukemias. 3-6 SHP-2 relays signals from activated growth factor receptors to Ras. PTPN11, KRAS2, NRAS, and NF1 mutations are found in mutually exclusive subsets of patients with JMML. 3,4 These data support the hypothesis that hyperactive Ras signaling plays a central role in JMML.Germ-line PTPN11 mutations cause approximately 50% of cases of Noonan syndrome (NS), 7,8 a congenital disorder characterized by facial anomalies, short stature, and heart defects. 9 Whereas NS is frequently inherited as an autosomal dominant condition, almost half of the constitutional PTPN11 mutations found in NS arise sporadically. Germ-line PTPN11 mutations are also found in patients with multiple lentigene syndrome (LS), a rare developmental disorder clinically related to NS. 9 Infants with NS are predisposed to developing a myeloproliferative disorder (NS/MPD), which may regress without treatment or follow an aggressive clinical course similar to JMML. 10-14 By contrast, cases of JMML that arise in patients without NS have a poor prognosis without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. [15][16][17][18] Recent studies show that children with JMML have improved outcomes when they are treated aggressively early in the course of disease. 18 Therefore, differentiating JMML from NS/MPD and identifying patients with NS/MPD who will require aggressive treatment are important clinical questions. We identify PTPN11 mutations in 77 newly reported patients with JMML and NS/MPD, and compare the mutational spectrum in JMML, NS/MPD, and NS/LS to determine if genotype-phenotype correlations exist that may help guide diagnosis and clinical management.
Study designTissue samples (bone marrow, peripheral blood, and, rarely, buccal swab and skin fibroblasts) from patients with JMML and NS/MPD were collected under Institutional...