Even though deregulation of human MLF1, the founding member of the Myeloid Leukemia Factor family, has been associated with acute myeloid leukemia, the function and mode of action of this family of genes have remained rather mysterious. Yet, recent findings in Drosophila shed new light on their biological activity and suggest that they play an important role in hematopoiesis and leukemia, notably by regulating the stability of RUNX transcription factors, another family of conserved proteins with prominent roles in normal and malignant blood cell development.
Keywords: Drosophila; MLF; RUNX; hematopoiesis; leukemia.