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Myeloysplasias

Involvement of transforming growth factor-β and thrombopoietin in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndrome with myelofibrosis

Leukemia volume 19, pages 1558–1566 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

We investigated the cause of myelofibrosis and proliferation of megakaryocytes in myelodysplastic syndrome with myelofibrosis (MDS-MF (+)). Plasma-transforming growth factor-β1 (PTGF-β1) concentrations closely correlated with myelofibrosis grade in MDS-MF (+) and were higher than those in idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF), essential thrombocythemia (ET), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), MDS-without MF (MDS-MF (−)) or healthy volunteers (HV). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from MDS-MF (+) patients expressed more TGF-β1 mRNA than those from IMF, MDS-MF (−) or HV. When we immunostained bone marrow specimens of MDS-MF (+) for TGF-β, the intensity of blasts was apparently higher than that of megakaryocytes, while in MDS-MF (−), megakaryocytes were immunostained with a similar intensity as that in MDS-MF (+), but blasts were negative for staining. In IMF, megakaryocytes, monocytes and small mononuclear cells representing CD34+ cells were all similarly stained with a much lower intensity than that of blasts in MDS-MF (+). The number of bone marrow megakaryocytes were increased the most in MDS-MF (+), followed by ET, ITP, MDS-MF (−) and NHL and correlated with plasma thrombopoietin (TPO) levels or with plasma TGF-β1 levels, respectively, in each disease. Thus, in MDS-MF (+), both myelofibrosis and the increased megakaryocytes were ascribed to overproduction of TGF-β1 from blasts.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mr Kevin Litton (Bachelor of arts in English) for editorial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan

    T Akiyama, T Matsunaga, T Terui, K Miyanishi, I Tanaka, T Sato, H Kuroda, R Takimoto, T Takayama, J Kato & Y Niitsu

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Kiyota Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

    N Yamauchi

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Tokeidai Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

    K Kogawa

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Higashi Sapporo Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

    S Sakamaki

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, Asahikawa Red Cross Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan

    Y Hirayama & K Kohda

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Correspondence to T Matsunaga.

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Akiyama, T., Matsunaga, T., Terui, T. et al. Involvement of transforming growth factor-β and thrombopoietin in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndrome with myelofibrosis. Leukemia 19, 1558–1566 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403875

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