Mutation analysis of the ras gene in myelocytic leukemia by polymerase chain reaction and oligonucleotide probes

Twenty-nine patients with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and 14 patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) were analyzed to detect the presence of mutations in their ras genes by the polymerase chain reaction and oligonucleotide hybridization methods. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) isolated from blood or bone marrow samples was screened for mutations in codons 12, 13 and 61 of N-ras and in codons 12 and 61 of K-ras and H-ras. We detected mutations of the ras gene in 7 patients with AML (7/29), all in N-ras. The mutations were 3 GGT- greater than GAT transitions in codon 12, 1 GGT- greater than TGT transition in codon 13, and 3 CAA- greater than AAA transitions in codon 61. No correlation has been observed between French-American-British subtypes and the incidence of N-ras mutation, nor between cytogenetic changes and the incidence of N-ras mutation. All ras gene mutations detected by the oligonucleotide hybridization method were further confirmed by direct sequencing. No mutations were detected in ras genes in samples from the 14 Philadelphia chromosome-positive CML patients (12 in chronic phase, 2 in blastic phase). These findings are in line with previous results indicating that ras gene mutations in the codons tested play only a small role in the tumorigenesis of CML.