Lack of structural rearrangement in c-kit and stem cell factor genes in Hong Kong Chinese patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukaemia

CH Chui, PHM Leung, FY Lau, TSK Wan, LC Chan, G Cheng
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

Stem cell factor is a haemopoietic growth factor that interacts with the c-kit--encoded transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor during signal transduction in haemopoietic progenitor stem cells. We have screened 127 Chinese patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukaemia for structural rearrangements in the stem cell factor and c-kit genes using Southern blot analysis. No structural rearrangements were detected in any of the bone marrow samples that were tested. It seems that structural rearrangements in the stem cell factor and c-kit genes are rare in Hong Kong patients who have a haematological malignancy.

Hong Kong Med J 1998;4:27-30

Key words: Blotting, Southern; Leukemia, myelocytic, acute; Myelodysplastic syndromes; Proto-oncogene proteins c-kit/genetics; Stem cell factor