Although the Jak2-V617F mutation has generated strong awareness because of its causative role in myeloproliferative disorders, reports of Jak2 gene aberrations linked to hematologic malignancies have preceded those of V617F by nearly a decade.
However it is not so easy, because iPSCs from hematological malignancies have been established only from myeloproliferative neoplasms including chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and JAK2-V617F mutation-positive polycythemia vera (PV). iPSC technology has great potential to promote oncology research based on patient samples.
The discovery of the highly prevalent activating JAK (Janus kinase) 2 V617F mutation in myeloproliferative neoplasms, and of other pseudokinase domain-activating mutations in JAK2, JAK1 and JAK3 in blood cancers, prompted great interest in understanding how pseudokinase domains regulate kinase domains in JAKs.
The gain of function mutation JAK2-V617F is very frequently found in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and is strongly implicated in pathogenesis of these and other hematological malignancies.