Mutations in the Spliceosomal Machinery Genes SRSF2, U2AF1, and ZRSR2 and Response to Decitabine in Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Background: Hypomethylating agents, such as azacitidine and decitabine, now constitute one of the mainstays of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) treatment. In recent years, novel recurrent mutations in multiple genes encoding RNA spliceosomal machinery (SRSF2, U2AF1, ZRSR2, SF3B1) were revealed. However, the clinical impact of these mutations on the outcomes of treatment of MDS patients with hypomethylating agents has not been described. Patients and Methods: A total of 58 de novo MDS patients were included in the study who had received first-line decitabine treatment. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by direct sequencing analyses was performed for the spliceosomal machinery genes including SRSF2, U2AF1 and ZRSR2. Results: In the present analysis of 58 Korean MDS patients, mutations in the splicing machinery genes SRSF2,