Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0032463 (polycythemia vera)
 3,374 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Activation of JAK2 by chromosomal translocation or point mutation is a recurrent event in hematopoietic malignancies, including acute leukemias and myeloproliferative disorders. Although the effects of activated JAK2 signaling have been examined in cell lines and murine models, the functional consequences of deregulated JAK2 in the context of human hematopoietic cells are currently unknown. Here we report that expression of TEL-JAK2, a constitutively active variant of the JAK2 kinase, in lineage-depleted human umbilical cord blood cells results in erythropoietin-independent erythroid differentiation in vitro and induces the rapid development of myelofibrosis in an in vivo NOD/SCID xenotransplantation assay. These studies provide functional evidence that activated JAK2 signaling in primitive human hematopoietic cells is sufficient to drive key processes implicated in the pathophysiology of polycythemia vera and idiopathic myelofibrosis. Furthermore, they describe an in vivo model of myelofibrosis initiated with primary cells, highlighting the utility of the NOD/SCID xenotransplant system for the development of experimental models of human hematopoietic malignancies.
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PMID:Expression of TEL-JAK2 in primary human hematopoietic cells drives erythropoietin-independent erythropoiesis and induces myelofibrosis in vivo. 1707 40

The Janus family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases (JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and tyrosine kinase 2) transduces signals downstream of type I and II cytokine receptors via signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs). JAK3 is important in lymphoid and JAK2 in myeloid cell proliferation and differentiation. The thrombopoietin receptor MPL is one of several JAK2 cognate receptors and is essential for myelopoiesis in general and megakaryopoiesis in particular. Germline loss-of-function (LOF) JAK3 and MPL mutations cause severe combined immunodeficiency and congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia, respectively. Germline gain-of-function (GOF) MPL mutation (MPLS505N) causes familial thrombocytosis. Somatic JAK3 (e.g. JAK3A572V, JAK3V722I, JAK3P132T) and fusion JAK2 (e.g. ETV6-JAK2, PCM1-JAK2, BCR-JAK2) mutations have respectively been described in acute megakaryocytic leukemia and acute leukemia/chronic myeloid malignancies. However, current attention is focused on JAK2 (e.g. JAK2V617F, JAK2 exon 12 mutations) and MPL (e.g. MPLW515L/K/S, MPLS505N) mutations associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). A JAK2 mutation, primarily JAK2V617F, is invariably associated with polycythemia vera (PV). The latter mutation also occurs in the majority of patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) or primary myelofibrosis (PMF). MPL mutational frequency in MPNs is substantially less (<10%). In general, despite a certain degree of genotype - phenotype correlations, the prognostic relevance of harbouring one of these mutations, or their allele burden when present, remains dubious. Regardless, based on the logical assumption that amplified JAK-STAT signalling is central to the pathogenesis of PV, ET and PMF, several anti-JAK2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been developed and are currently being tested in humans with these disorders.
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PMID:JAK and MPL mutations in myeloid malignancies. 1829 15

The JAK2V617F somatic point mutation has been described in patients with myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs). Despite this progress, it remains unknown how a single JAK2 mutation causes 3 different MPD phenotypes, polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia, and primitive myelofibrosis (PMF). Using an in vivo xenotransplantation assay in nonobese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice, we tested whether disease heterogeneity was associated with quantitative or qualitative differences in the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment. We show that the HSC compartment of PV and PMF patients contains JAK2V617F-positive long-term, multipotent, and self-renewing cells. However, the proportion of JAK2V617F and JAK2 wild-type SCID repopulating cells was dramatically different in these diseases, without major modifications of the self-renewal and proliferation capacities for JAK2V617F SCID repopulating cells. These experiments provide new insights into the pathogenesis of JAK2V617F MPD and demonstrate that a JAK2 inhibitor needs to target the HSC compartment for optimal disease control in classical MPD.
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PMID:The hematopoietic stem cell compartment of JAK2V617F-positive myeloproliferative disorders is a reflection of disease heterogeneity. 1861 1

The Janus family kinases (Jaks), Jak1, Jak2, Jak3, and Tyk2, form one subgroup of the non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases. They are involved in cell growth, survival, development, and differentiation of a variety of cells but are critically important for immune cells and hematopoietic cells. Data from experimental mice and clinical observations have unraveled multiple signaling events mediated by Jaks in innate and adaptive immunity. Deficiency of Jak3 or Tyk2 results in defined clinical disorders, which are also evident in mouse models. A striking phenotype associated with inactivating Jak3 mutations is severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome, whereas mutation of Tyk2 results in another primary immunodeficiency termed autosomal recessive hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome. By contrast, complete deletion of Jak1 or Jak2 in the mouse are not compatible with life and, unsurprisingly, do not have counterparts in human disease. However, activating mutations of each of the Jaks are found in association with malignant transformation, the most common being gain-of-function mutations of Jak2 in polycythemia vera and other myeloproliferative disorders. Our existing knowledge on Jak signaling pathways and fundamental work on their biochemical structure and intracellular interactions allow us to develop new strategies for controlling autoimmune diseases or malignancies by developing selective Jak inhibitors, which are now coming into clinical use. Despite the fact that Jaks were discovered only a little more than a decade ago, at the time of writing there are 20 clinical trials underway testing the safety and efficacy of Jak inhibitors.
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PMID:Janus kinases in immune cell signaling. 1929 Sep 34

We evaluated the NOD/SCID engraftment of CD34(+) cells from polycythemia vera (PV) and secondary polycythemia patients (SP) and the JAK2V617F clone before and after transplantation. Peripheral blood CD34(+) cells were transplanted intra-femorally. In the injected BM, successful engraftment (>0.1%) occurred in 8/26 mice transplanted with CD34+ cells from 5/13 PV patients (median: 4.26%, range: 0.3-5.56%), in contrast to 0/14 mice from 9 SP patients (P=0.017). The engrafting PV cells were of multi-lineage. JAK2V617F/total JAK2 ratios decreased after transplantation (initial: 65.9% versus 6-week: 13.0%, P=0.001). Essential thrombocythemia (ET) BM cells also exhibited a similar decrease in JAK2V617F clone. The results suggested that events in addition to JAK2V617F are involved in the pathogenesis of PV and ET.
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PMID:Differential NOD/SCID mouse engraftment of peripheral blood CD34+ cells and JAK2V617F clones from patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. 2017 Sep 59

A hallmark of persistent HIV-1 infection in the central nervous system is increased activation of mononuclear phagocytes and surrounding astrogliosis, conferring persistent HIV-induced inflammation. This inflammation is believed to result in neuronal dysfunction and the clinical manifestations of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). The Jak/STAT pathway is activated in macrophages/myeloid cells upon HIV-1 infection, modulating many pro-inflammatory pathways that result in HAND, thereby representing an attractive cellular target. Thus, the impact of ruxolitinib, a Janus Kinase (Jak) 1/2 inhibitor that is FDA approved for myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera, was assessed for its potential to inhibit HIV-1 replication in macrophages and HIV-induced activation in monocytes/macrophages in culture. In addition, a murine model of HIV encephalitis (HIVE) was used to assess the impact of ruxolitinib on histopathological features of HIVE, brain viral load, as well as its ability to penetrate the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). Ruxolitinib was found to inhibit HIV-1 replication in macrophages, HIV-induced activation of monocytes (CD14/CD16) and macrophages (HLA-DR, CCR5, and CD163) without apparent toxicity. In vivo, systemically administered ruxolitinib was detected in the brain during HIVE in SCID mice and markedly inhibited astrogliosis. Together, these data indicate that ruxolitinib reduces HIV-induced activation and infiltration of monocytes/macrophages in vitro, reduces the replication of HIV in vitro, penetrates the BBB when systemically administered in mice and reduces astrogliosis in the brains of mice with HIVE. These data suggest that ruxolitinib will be useful as a novel therapeutic to treat humans with HAND.
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PMID:The Janus kinase inhibitor ruxolitinib reduces HIV replication in human macrophages and ameliorates HIV encephalitis in a murine model. 2685 3