Haploinsufficiency of the RBM22 and SLU7 Genes in Del(5q) Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are malignant hematopathies of the elderly characterized by persistent cytopenias and the presence of deregulated clonal hematopoiesis. The risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is variable. Acquired cytogenetic abnormalities are found in less than 50% of de novo cases and up to 80% in secondary MDS. The deletion of the long arm of chromosome 5 (written del(5q)) is the most common abnormality in MDS (15%). Del(5q) MDS has a good prognosis, with a median survival of 6 years and a 15% risk of progression to AML. However, their life expectancy is shorter than the general population, and the quality of life of patients is diminished. These treatments are not that effective over a long period of time or not well tolerated, and the majority of patients die from causes related to their MDS, such as infections (38%), progression to AML (15%), or bleeding (13%). Two genes, RBM22 and SLU7, coding for proteins of the same complex involved in splicing pre-messenger RNA are carried on the long arm of chromosome 5. We investigate the pronostic impact and the predictive value of the double haploinsufficiency of the RBM22 and SLU7 genes in del(5q) myelodysplastic syndromes isolated or not compared to the single haploinsufficiency of RBM22 and normal karyotype myelodysplastic syndromes.