To address whether BCR-ABL expression is associated with down-regulation of ZNF224, we initially measured ZNF224 mRNA levels in leukemia cell lines (K562, BV173, LAMA84) derived from CML patients, in CD34+ primary bone marrow cells derived from 10 CML patients at diagnosis, all characterized by the presence of BCR-ABL fusion gene, or in BCR-ABL negative cell lines (KG1, UT7) derived from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The gene discussed is ZNF224; the disease is leukemia.