JAK-2 mutations and their relevance to myeloproliferative disease

The identification of the JAK2V617F allele greatly improved our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of myeloproliferative disorders. This review focuses on recent studies offering new genetic, biochemical, and functional insight into the role of JAK2V617F in the pathogenesis of these disorders.

JAK2V617F mutations are present in almost all patients with polycythemia vera, and in approximately half of those with essential thrombocytosis and myelofibrosis. JAK2V617F has constitutive tyrosine kinase activity, and is able to transform hematopoietic cells and activate JAK-STAT signaling when co-expressed with homodimeric type I cytokine receptors. Murine bone marrow transplant experiments demonstrate that JAK2V617F is sufficient for the development of polycythemia vera in recipient mice. These results suggested that JAK-STAT pathway activation might contribute to the pathogenesis of JAK2-negative myeloproliferative disorders, and led to the discovery of an activating mutation in the thrombopoietin receptor in JAK2-negative myelofibrosis and essential thrombocytosis.

The discovery of the JAK2V617F allele represents an important advance in our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of myeloproliferative disorders, though many questions remain regarding the role of a single allele in three clinically distinct disorders, the mechanism of activation of JAK2V617F, and the pathogenesis of JAK2-negative myeloproliferative disorders.