Retrospective analysis of ras gene activation in myeloid leukemic cells

Ras genes are activated by point mutations at critical sites of their coding regions. Activated N-ras genes with transforming ability have been detected in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and in human myeloid cell lines. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR), differential oligonucleotide hybridization and direct DNA sequencing to retrospectively analyze the N-ras gene of blast cells from the same patient (a) at time of diagnosis of MDS, (b) after the patient had developed AML. Two types of archival tissue samples served as a source of cells. Different passages of the KG-1 myeloid cell line which had been established from leukemic blasts of this patient were also analyzed. We found that native blast cells isolated at either of the two disease stages did not carry an N-ras mutation, and neither did early passage KG-1 cells. However, direct DNA sequencing of PCR-amplified DNA from nude mice transformants induced by DNA from late passage of the KG-1 cell line revealed two linked mutations involving both the second nucleotide of codon 12 and the third nucleotide of codon 15 of N-ras. The nucleotide substitution at codon 15 did not result in an amino acid substitution (silent mutation). The mutations probably occurred during prolonged passaging of the KG-1 cells and might have been overlooked by oligonucleotide hybridization assay.