# JAK2V617F, clonal hematopoiesis and atherosclerosis

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2020 · $405,000

## Abstract

Summary
 Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is a age-related and highly prevalent condition in the elderly that arises from
somatic mutations in blood cells. CH increases in frequency with aging and is present in >10% of people
aged >70 in the general population. Recent studies have identified CH as a major risk factor for coronary heart
disease and ischemic stroke (CVD). Loss of function mutations of TET2 and JAK2V617F (JAK2VF), a gain of
function mutation, are two common somatic mutations in CH. Using animal models, selective ablation of Tet2
gene or selective expression of JAK2VF in blood cells increases atherosclerosis, demonstrating the causality of
CH-driving mutations in increased risk of CVD. Mechanistically, increased inflammation caused by Tet2-/- or
Jak2VF contributes to atherosclerosis. Blood vascular integrity deficit also appears to promotes atherosclerosis
in these animal models.
 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of late-life dementia. Among the risk factors, aging
is the greatest. The mechanism linking aging and AD is still incompletely understood. Neuroinflammation and
vascular disease are prominent contributors to AD. Dysregulated immunity is a common feature in AD. In
addition to microglia, a major cell type that is involved in immunity and AD pathogenesis, blood derived
immune cells could modulate AD pathogenesis as well. While both CH and AD are age-related and prevalent
in the elderly, whether CH has a causal role in AD has not been assessed. The fact that atherosclerosis and
AD share some common features and mechanisms and AD and CH related pathogenesis involve a battery of
similar risk factors strongly suggests a causal link between CH and AD. We propose to assess the causality of
CH in AD, using animal models.
 We will introduce bone marrow cells from Tet2-/- or Jak2VF mice into irradiated AD mouse models.
Tet2-/- or Jak2VF will be expressed selectively in bone marrow derived blood cells in the recipient mice. Tet2-/-
or Jak2VF expression is expected to exacerbate AD. This will be assessed by mouse behavior studies and
pathological analysis of the brain tissues. We expect more pronounced learning and memory deficit in mice
expressing Tet2-/- or Jak2VF, in association with exacerbated neuroinflammation and amyloid  and tau related
pathology. Once confirmed, we will carry out additional mechanistic studies to understand the underlying
mechanism, including the potential role of macrophage inflammasome activation or neutrophil extracellular trap
formation. Brain vascular integrity and function will be assessed as well.
 We believe that these proposed studies will help to define the potential adverse impact of CH on AD
pathogenesis and progression. The mechanistic studies also have the potential to aid our understanding of the
underlying mechanism and provide novel opportunities for development of novel therapeutic approaches.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10123246
- **Project number:** 3R01HL148071-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** NAN WANG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $405,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-06-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10123246

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10123246, JAK2V617F, clonal hematopoiesis and atherosclerosis (3R01HL148071-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10123246. Licensed CC0.

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