Establishment of a system for rapid detection of JAK2 V617F mutation in myeloproliferative diseases

Objective To develop a system for rapid detection of JAK2 V617F mutation among patients with myeloproliferative diseases. Methods Specific primers and TagMan probes were designed for the mutant and wild type alleles based on the principle of real-time PCR. A complete system including the method for detection and product for quality control were established through the evaluation of sensitivity and accuracy of the method, double-blind trial, and preparation of negative and positive controls through site-directed mutagenesis and molecular cloning. Results A system for rapid detection of the JAK V617F mutation has been developed. Compared with Sanger sequencing, the sensitivity and specificity of the method have both reached 100%. Meanwhile, 1000 normal samples and 1 case with the JAK2 V617F mutation were detected, which gave a population rate of 1‰. Conclusion The system was fast, accurate, cheap, high throughput, and easy to use. It can be utilized as a routine test. Although the JAK2 V617F mutation is rare in the population, it should be screened among myeloproliferative neoplasm patients. Key words: Myeloproliferative neoplasm; Genetic mutation; TagMan probe; Carrier rate