Medicina Molecular e Genética

Development of Cytogenetic Abnormalities in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Abstract

Bandara WMMS, Rathnayake AJIS, Goonasekera HWW and Dissanayake VHW

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis resulting in cellular dysplasia and peripheral cytopenias. Research into MDS have found that both hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the nurturing niche of HSCs are genetically altered in MDS. In this review we present the existing views on the origin of cytogenetic abnormalities in HSC and MSC compartments in MDS. Based on the available data, we speculate that the origin of the chromosomal aberrations of the hematopoietic compartment occurs at the hematopoietic stem/ progenitor level. The genetic aberrations in MSC compartment appears to initiate independently from their hematopoietic counterparts. Whether the genetic events in both HSC and MSC compartments which lead to MDS occur simultaneously or at different time points in the disease development need to be determined in future.