To identify the key molecule responsible for the potential cross-talk between nutrient signalling and the TGF-β–FOXO axis, and thereby for CML stemness, we investigated whether Smad2/3, the downstream effectors of TGF-β signalling, were implicated in CML stem cell activity. Here, TGFB1 is linked to chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive.