Clonal analysis of peripheral blood and haemopoietic colonies in patients with aplastic anaemia and refractory anaemia using the polymorphic short tandem repeat on the human androgen-receptor (HUMARA) gene.

The clonalities in white blood cells (WBC) of blood and nucleated bone marrow cells from patients with refractory anaemia and aplastic anaemia were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods using the polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) on the human androgen-receptor gene (HUMARA). Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 12 female patients, six with aplastic anaemia (AA) and six with refractory anaemia (RA). Peripheral blood was fractionated into granulocytes, lymphocytes, T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes. DNA was extracted from each fraction. Bone marrow samples were obtained from seven female patients (three with AA and four with RA). Sorted CD34 positive cells were cultured in a semisolid culture system. DNA was extracted from a 14-day haemopoietic colony. The clonal pattern was assessed using HUMARA gene STR polymorphism and the differential methylation pattern of nearby cytosine residues by PCR methods. Four of six (67%) AA and two of six (33%) RA patients had a monoclonal proliferating pattern in their granulocytes. The ratio of the numbers of minority colonies per majority colonies (m/M ratio) was examined for seven patients (three AA and four RA). In patients who had a clonal haemopoietic pattern in peripheral WBC the ratio was under 0.4 but not zero. In contrast, patients exhibiting a polyclonal pattern had an m/M ratio above 0.8. We concluded that some normal or heterogenous haemopoietic clones, not only MDS but also AA, may remain in the bone marrow, although almost all colonies were derived from a single pathogenic clone when the clonality pattern exhibited monoclonality in peripheral blood analysis.