PERSISTENCE OF AN ACTIVATING N-RAS ONCOGENE MUTATION IN CLONOGENIC PROGENITOR CELLS FROM AN ACUTE MYELOID-LEUKEMIA PATIENT IN REMISSION

A patient with acute myeloid leukaemia (AA IL) with an activating N-RA S oncogene mutation was studied in a haemopoietic clonogenic progenito r cell assay. individual colonies and clusters were analysed by polyme rase chain reaction and oligonucleotide hybridization for the original mutation. The mutation was detected in a majority of leukaemic cluste rs, but also in almost half of the differentiated colonies. After chem otherapy the patient entered clinical remission. However, the mutation could still be detected in the bone marrow. Only differentiated colon ies and no leukaemic clusters were grown from the remission bone marro w, but the original mutation was still detectable in almost half of th e colonies.