Pignon J M, Giraudier S, Duquesnoy P, Jouault H, Imbert M, Vainchenker W, Vernant J P, Tulliez M
Service d'Hématologie Biologique, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France.
Br J Haematol. 1997 Feb;96(2):374-6. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2141.1997.d01-2042.x.
Systemic mast cell disease (SMCD) is a disorder characterized by a mast cell proliferation in various tissues. Mast cells express the c-kit proto-oncogene. A few cases of c-kit mutations have been described in SMCD. We report an aggressive SMCD in a patient who presented with a bone marrow infiltration by abnormal mast cells. Molecular studies of mast cell DNA and RNA revealed a new c-kit heterozygous mutation (Asp820Gly). This mutation leads to a drastic amino-acid change and is located close to the highly oncogenic Asp816Val. These findings suggest that the Asp820Gly has a potential role in c-kit activation.