ASNS and cancer: However, in a study investigating the molecular mechanisms of induced cell differentiation in human pro-myelocytic leukemia, asparagine synthetase transcription was reported to be significantly reduced in maturing monocytes/macrophages [101]; therefore, an active role of asparagine synthetases in the development and growth of cancer cells has been suggested, which led to the hypothesis that the induction of a down-regulation of asparagine synthetases might be a new strategy for the treatment of blast cell leukaemia [102].