The JAK2-V617F mutation is frequently present at diagnosis in patients with essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera

We determined the allelic frequency of the JAK2-V617F mutation in DNA and assessed the expression levels of the mutant and wild-type JAK2 mRNA in granulocytes from 60 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and 62 patients with polycythemia vera (PV) at the time of diagnosis. Using allele-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we detected JAK2-V617F in 75% of ET and 97% of PV at diagnosis. The total JAK2 mRNA levels were elevated in ET, PV, and secondary and idiopathic erythrocytosis, suggesting that hyperactive hematopoiesis alters JAK2 expression. The expression levels of JAK2-V617F mRNA were variable but strongly correlated with the allelic ratio of JAK2-V617F determined in DNA. Thus, differences in JAK2-V617F expression, markedly lower in ET than in PV, reflected different percentages of granulocytes carrying the mutation. Moreover, allelic ratios higher than 50% JAK2-V617F, indicating the presence of granulocytes homozygous for JAK2-V617F, were found in 70% of PV at diagnosis but never in ET.