Background: Mastocytosis is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by abnormal accumulation of mast cells. Objective: Skin biopsies from 24 patients (23 with proven mastocytosis) were screened for the presence of the c-kit Asp-816-Val mutation. Methods: In frozen biopsies, RNA was isolated, cDNA synthesis and PCR, the expected PCR product of 346 bp was obtained from 23 patients. Results: In patients with urticaria pigmentosa, the mutation was detected in 38% of the adults and 25% of the children. With regard to the clinical presentation of the disease, no difference was found between adult patients with and without the mutation, as detected with our assay. One out of the 2 children with the mutation had an atypical presentation of the disease. Conclusion: the mutation could not be detected in all the patients, probably due to lack of sensitivity of the methods.

Keywords:
Mastocytosis, C-kit Asp-816-Val mutation, Mast cells
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© 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel
2006
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