Detection of leukemia gene fusions on DNA-level through targeted Next-Generation Sequencing
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing (tNGS) is commonly used to detect genetic mutations in patients with leukemia on DNA-level, necessitating additional methods to confirm genomic rearrangements and gene fusions, resulting in a substantial sample volume requirement and significant labor expenses. METHODS: A novel custom leukemia tNGS panel, independently developed by Sino-US Diagnostics Lab, includes all exons from 302 genes closely associated with leukemia and 95 introns from 26 genes, thereby facilitating the detection of gene fusion alterations on DNA-level. Additionally, the common breakpoint regions of IGH and MYC are employed for the detection of IGH or MYC rearrangements. Commercial quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) reagents were used simultaneously to detect 45 gene fusions in RNA samples. A total of 357 adults diagnosed with leukemia were included in the study. RESULTS: The qRT-PCR method detected a total of 102 gene fusions, encompassing 23 distinct types. The tNGS method identified the same gene fusions on DNA-level in 98 samples, achieving a Positive Percent Agreement (PPA) of 96.1% (98/102) when compared to the qRT-PCR method, and no false positive findings. Additionally, it revealed the presence of two gene fusions, KMT2A::ELL and KMT2A::MLLT3, which had gone undetected by qRT-PCR. The tNGS can also identify IGH or MYC gene rearrangements in patients with B-ALL, achieving a PPA of 93.8% (15/16) when compared to the FISH. Moreover, tNGS can accurately identify the specific partner genes associated with these rearrangements, facilitating a more precise analysis of the impact of mutations on prognosis. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the feasibility of employing tNGS methods to concurrently identify gene mutations and fusions (including IGH and MYC rearrangements) at the DNA level in adults with leukemia.
Source: PLoS ONE
Institution: Central Hospital of Zibo
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,382
OpenAlex ID: W4415009135