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Key Points Gene expression and mutational analysis confirm the differences among the 3 peripheral TCL subclasses: AITL, PTCL-NOS, and PTCL-TFH.The expression of a gene set, including B-cell genes, is an IPI-independent prognostic factor for AITL cases., Visual Abstract, Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a clinically aggressive disease, with a poor response to therapy and a low overall survival rate of approximately 30% after 5 years. We have analyzed a series of 105 cases with a diagnosis of PTCL using a customized NanoString platform (NanoString Technologies, Seattle, WA) that includes 208 genes associated with T-cell differentiation, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, deregulated pathways, and stromal cell subpopulations. A comparative analysis of the various histological types of PTCL (angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma [AITL]; PTCL with T follicular helper [TFH] phenotype; PTCL not otherwise specified [NOS]) showed that specific sets of genes were associated with each of the diagnoses. These included TFH markers, cytotoxic markers, and genes whose expression was a surrogate for specific cellular subpopulations, including follicular dendritic cells, mast cells, and genes belonging to precise survival (NF-κB) and other pathways. Furthermore, the mutational profile was analyzed using a custom panel that targeted 62 genes in 76 cases distributed in AITL, PTCL-TFH, and PTCL-NOS. The main differences among the 3 nodal PTCL classes involved the RHOAG17V mutations (P < .0001), which were approximately twice as frequent in AITL (34.09%) as in PTCL-TFH (16.66%) cases but were not detected in PTCL-NOS. A multivariate analysis identified gene sets that allowed the series of cases to be stratified into different risk groups. This study supports and validates the current division of PTCL into these 3 categories, identifies sets of markers that can be used for a more precise diagnosis, and recognizes the expression of B-cell genes as an IPI-independent prognostic factor for AITL.

Introduction: Nodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) subclassification (Angioimmunoblastic TCL, PTCL-with T Follicular Helper phenotype and PTCL-NOS) and therapeutic targeting is still controversial. Overall survival (OS) is only around 30% after 5 years. Methods: We performed targeted next-generation sequencing of 61 selected genes in 76 PTCL patients. Among the 76cases, 44 were classified as AITL, 18 as PTCL-TFH and 14 as PTCL-NOS. Results: Our analysis revealed a wide variety of genetic variants that possibly drive the development of AITL, PTCL-TFH and/or PTCL-NOS. We identified an average of 4 variants per patient, mainly clustered in genes regulating chromatin conformation (TET2, DNMT3A) and T-cell differentiation (RHOA, MTOR, IDH2, VAV1 and NOTCH1). More frequently mutated genes were TET2 (76,31%) and DNMT3A (27,63%). Multiple mutations were found in TET2, VAV1, RHOA, NOTCH1, MTOR, JAK1, ZEB1, ATM, DNMT3A and ARID1B. Main difference among the three Nodal PTCL classes was the higher frequency of RHOAG17V mutations (p Conclusions: There is a common molecular basis for the three Nodal PTCL with very frequent mutations in genes regulating chromatin conformation associated with mutations in genes governing T-cell differentiation. RHOA G17V mutations were highly significant enriched in AITL. Findings suggesting Clonal Hematopoiesis were found in the three types of nodal PTCL.

BCR-JAK2 is an infrequent gene fusion found in chronic/acute, myeloid/lymphoid Philadelphia chromosome-negative leukaemia. In this study, we demonstrated that in vivo expression of BCR-JAK2 in mice induces neoplasia, with fatal consequences. Transplantation of BCR-JAK2 bone marrow progenitors promoted splenomegaly, with megakaryocyte infiltration and elevated leukocytosis of myeloid origin. Analysis of peripheral blood revealed the presence of immature myeloid cells, platelet aggregates and ineffective erythropoiesis. A possible molecular mechanism for these observations involved inhibition of apoptosis by deregulated expression of the anti-apoptotic mediator Bcl-xL and the serine/threonine kinase Pim1. Together, these data provide a suitable in vivo molecular mechanism for leukaemia induction by BCR-JAK2 that validates the use of this model as a relevant preclinical tool for the design of new targeted therapies in Philadelphia chromosome-negative leukaemia involving BCR-JAK2-driven activation of the JAK2 pathway.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common adult leukemia in the Western world. Pathogenic mechanisms involve multiple external events (such as microenvironmental and antigenic stimuli) and internal events (genetic and epigenetic alterations) that are associated with the transformation, progression and evolution of CLL. CLL is characterized by an accumulation of mature B cells in peripheral blood, bone marrow and lymphoid tissues. Extracellular stimuli play an important role in the development and maintenance of neoplastic cells. B-CLL cells proliferate and activate pathogenic signaling pathways in anatomical structures known as proliferation centers, which are usually more conspicuous in involved lymph nodes.1 Its clinical course is quite heterogeneous, whereby some patients progress rapidly and have short survival, whereas others have a more stable clinical course that may not need treatment for years. This work was supported by grants from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) (SAF2013-47416-R) Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)- FEDER – MINECO- AES (CP11/00018, PI10/00621, RD012/0036/0060), and Asociación Española contra el Cancer (AECC). MS-B is supported by a Miguel Servet contract from ISCIII-FEDER (CP11/00018). Salary support to SG is provided by CP11/00018, from ISCIII-FEDER. JG-R is supported by a predoctoral grant from the Fundación Investigación Puerta de Hierro. Sí

Introduction: Aberrant methylation of the 5′ gene promoter regions is an epigenetic phenomenon that is the one of the major mechanism of inactivation of tumor supressor genes. DNA methylation of the promoter region has been described for several genes in various malignant diseases, and each tumour type may have its own pattern of methylation. To determine the methylation status and expression of cell cycle inhibitors genes (p14, p15, p16), repair genes (MGMT and hMLH1) and the apoptosis regulator gene (DAPKinase) and the possible role of this epigenetic phenomenon in tumour progression of plasma cell disorders, we analyzed the methylation profile of MM, MGUS, and plasmacytomas comparing them with their protein expression. Patients and Methods: A total of 51 cases: 30 MM, 13 MGUS, and 8 plasmacytomas (3 Solitary Bone Plasmacytoma, 5 Extramedullary Plasmacytoma) were included in the study. Bone marrow plasma cells were purified using magnetic microbeads labeled with CD138 in samples with MM and MGUS. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) for p14, p15, p16, MGMT, hMLH1 and DAPKinase was performed. MSP results were matched to protein expression studies by immunohistochemistry for p15, p16, MGMT and hMLH1. Results: The frequency of aberrant methylation among the MM samples was: 50% for p16, 16.7% for p15, 10% for hMLH1, 23.3% for MGMT, 30% for DAPK. In MGUS samples we found 38.5% for p16, 15.4% for p15, 0% for hMLH1, 7.7% for MGMT and 15.4% for DAPK methylation. The frequency of methylation in plasmacytomas was 62.5% for p16, 25% for p15, 0% for hMLH1, 62.5% for MGMT and 50% for DAPK. p14 was unmethylated in all cases (n=51). The correlation between gene methylation status and protein expression was assessed in 17 MM, 11 MGUS, and 8 plasmacytomas and we found that promoter methylation was strongly associated with gene silencing. All the samples methylated had lost the protein expression. In summary these findings demonstrate that aberrant methylation is an important mechanism of gene silencing in plasma cell disorders: 83.3% of MM, 46.1 of MGUS, and 75% of plasmacytomas have at least one hypermethylated gene (figure 1). We also show, that hypermethylation of p16 is a common phenomenon in plasma cell discrasias while there was no methylation of p14. Although the size of sample is small, we found that hMLH1 hypermethylation was found only in MM, while in plasmacytomas hypermethylation of MGMT and DAPK were frequent events. Moreover in survival studies of MM patients, a trend was observed between simultaneous aberrant methylation of hMLH1 and MGMT and poorer survival, but the number of cases studied limits the statistical analysis and the clinical implications of these results. To better define the clinical impact of methylation markers in plasma cell discrasias, it is therefore necessary to analyze a large number of patient samples. Figure 1. Gene methylation profiling of MM(A), MGUS(B), and plasmacytomas(C) using MSPCR Figure 1. Gene methylation profiling of MM(A), MGUS(B), and plasmacytomas(C) using MSPCR