Absence of mutations in the RET gene in acute myeloid leukemia

Expression of the tyrosine kinase receptor RET has previously been detected in normal hematopoietic cells, and especially in cells of the myeloid lineage. Furthermore, RET was shown to be differentially expressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a disease characterized by excessive cell growth and aberrant maturation of cells, with the highest levels of expression in leukemias with monocytic differentiation. RET is known to be expressed in cells from the excretory system and from the developing central and peripheral nervous system. Both activating and inactivating aberrations in the RET gene have been detected in disorders derived from these tissues. To investigate whether the differential expression is a primary defect in AML, the presence of RET alterations was scanned by Southern blot analysis on DNA of blasts obtained from 17 AML patients. However, no RET gene aberrations were found. Subsequently, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis was performed on the DNA of blasts from ten selected cases. All five variants detected turned out to represent neutral DNA polymorphisms, including a novel polymorphism in exon 14. Since we were unable to detect mutations of RET in AML, it is unlikely that it plays an important role in leukemogenesis.