Reasoning
PS3 is met at strong strength. The exact MPL c.1544G>T (p.W515L) variant was evaluated in a well-established, biologically relevant functional program: it produced cytokine-independent growth, constitutive JAK-STAT, RAS/MAPK, and PI3K/AKT signaling, and thrombopoietin hypersensitivity in cellular assays, and caused a rapidly lethal myeloproliferative phenotype with thrombocytosis, organomegaly, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and myelofibrosis in a mouse bone-marrow-transplant model. The study included clinically characterized cohorts, matched buccal-DNA testing, HapMap controls, cytokine-dependence and thrombopoietin-response assays, signaling immunoblots, inhibitor studies, colony formation, and an in vivo disease model. These concordant cellular and in vivo results directly demonstrate a damaging gain-of-function effect on MPL, although the evidence is research-based rather than a validated clinical diagnostic laboratory assay.
Rule
Well-established in vitro or in vivo functional studies supportive of a damaging effect on the gene or gene product. Note: Functional studies that have been validated and shown to be reproducible and robust in a clinical diagnostic laboratory setting are considered the most well-established.
Evidence considered
- Pikman et al. 2006 (PMID:16834459), Results, functional analyses in Figures 1-7: exact MPL c.1544G>T/p.W515L produced cytokine-independent growth, constitutive JAK-STAT, RAS/MAPK, and PI3K/AKT signaling, and thrombopoietin hypersensitivity in cellular assays.
- Pikman et al. 2006 (PMID:16834459), mouse bone-marrow-transplant assays: MPLW515L induced rapidly developing lethal myeloproliferative disease with leukocytosis, marked thrombocytosis, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and myelofibrosis.
- Pikman et al. 2006 (PMID:16834459), cohort and controls: matched granulocyte/buccal DNA sequencing and genotyping of 270 HapMap samples supported somatic variant identification; the study also used cytokine-dependence, thrombopoietin-response, Western blot, inhibitor, colony-forming, and murine assays.
Still missing
- The functional evidence is from research assays rather than a reproducible clinical diagnostic laboratory validation study.
Sources