Evaluation of BRAFV600E, NRAS and KRAS Mutations As Well As IGHV Usage for Diagnostic Use in Hairy Cell Leukemia, Hairy Cell Leukemia-Variant and Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma.

The BRAF V600E mutation has recently been discovered in nearly all cases of hairy cell leukemia (HCL), but not in cases of HCL-variant (HCL-v). However, this perfect correlation has been challenged by studies reporting HCL cases without BRAF V600E. Interestingly, the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene IGHV4–34, which has been associated with poor prognosis in HCL, appeared exclusively and to a high percentage in these BRAF V600E-negative cases of classic HCL and also in HCL-v (Xi et al., Blood, 2011). Further, splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is a disease closely related to HCL and HCL-v and BRAF has been shown to be unmutated in this entity.

1. To characterize our cohorts of HCL, HCL-v and SMZL for the presence of BRAF V600E and to correlate the results with IGHV gene usage. 2. We hypothesized that other genes of the RAF/RAS pathway might be affected. Thus we analysed NRAS, and KRAS in addition to BRAF for mutations in all three entities.

We analyzed the bone marrow or peripheral blood of 314 cases (182 cases with HCL, 49 cases with HCL-v, and 83 cases with SMZL) at diagnosis as confirmed by multiparameter flow cytometry and cytomorphology. The BRAF V600E mutation was analyzed by an mRNA-based reverse transcription allele-specific real-time quantification (RQ-PCR) assay. The BRAF V600E expression was calculated as %BRAF V600E/BRAF wt. NRAS and KRAS were analyzed by melting curve analysis and subsequent Sanger sequencing. IGHV genes and mutation status were analyzed by the use of Biomed-2 primers. An identity of ≥98% of the analyzed IGHV sequence compared to published germline sequences was considered an unmutated IGHV status.

In our cohort the median percent leukemic cells was 16% (range 0.2–74%) for HCL, 33% (range 5–59%) for HCL-v and 29% (range: 1–84%) for SMZL as determined by multiparameter flow cytometry. The BRAF V600E mutation was detected in 178/182 (97.8%) of HCL cases, whereas 0/49 of HCL-v and 0/83 SMZL were positive. Thus, the BRAF V600E mutation is 100% specific for HCL regarding these three entities. The median BRAF V600E expression ratio of positive cases was 14.2 (range 0.22 – 280.3). After normalization to % pathological cells as assessed by multiparameter flow cytometry the median ratio was 173 (range:22–1,788). However, in 4 cases with 4%, 8%, 28% and 66% percent leukemic cells by multiparameter flow cytometry, which is within the clone size that can be clearly detected by the BRAF V600E-specific RQ-PCR assay, no mutation was detected. Thus, BRAF V600E detection used for the identification of HCL has a sensitivity of 97.8%. Further, NRAS and KRAS mutation screening in all cases with HCL, HCL-v, and SMZL did not detect any mutation except for one case with SMZL that harboured an NRAS Gly12Asp mutation. This case was found to have an MDS in parallel and thus the mutation more likely belongs to the MDS clone. Thus, analysis of NRAS and KRAS mutations does not further improve diagnostics in these diseases. Further, we analyzed the IGHV usage in all 4 BRAF unmutated HCL and in additional 60 cases (total n=64) with HCL and 41 cases with HCL-v. IGHV4–34 usage was very frequent in HCL-v with 14/41 (34.1%). In contrast, it was never detected in HCL including the BRAF wildtype cases. Thus, we were not able to confirm the usage of the IGHV4–34 gene, which was previously suggested for BRAF V600E negative HCL. On the other hand IGHV5–51 was most frequently found in HCL (9/64, 14.1%) but never detected in HCL-v. We detected an unmutated IGHV status in 12/62 (19.4%) of HCL, which was less frequent compared to 14/40 (35.0%) in HCL-v (p = 0.095). The IGHV mutation status was unmutated in 9/11 (81.8%) IGHV4–34 cases (100% identity to germline each). The four cases of HCL, which lacked BRAF V600E mutation, expressed the IGHV genes IGHV1–3*01 (96.5% identity), IGHV1–69*02 (94.0% identity), IGHV3–9*01 (96.9% identity) and IGHV6-1*01 (99.0% identity), which were also expressed by various BRAF V600E positive HCL cases in our cohort.

1) In our cohort of 314 cases with HCL, HCL-v, and SMZL we confirm a high specificity (100%) and sensitivity (97.8%) for BRAF V600E mutations to detect HCL. 2) Other RAS pathway mutations (NRAS, KRAS) were not detected in any of the three analysed entities. 3) In the 4 rare cases of HCL with BRAF wt we were not able to confirm the previously postulated IGHV4–34 usage. 4) IGHV4–34 further delineates classic HCL from HCL-v.

Schnittger:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Equity Ownership. Dicker:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Eder:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Jeromin:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Alpermann:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Haferlach:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Equity Ownership. Haferlach:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Equity Ownership. Kern:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Equity Ownership.