Interestingly, The Cancer Genome Atlas data indicated that the mRNA levels of MEIS1, IRF8 and MEF2C, which constitute an IRF8-centered innate immunity pathway that suppressed the malignancy of AML cells,29 but not the other transcription factors, were lower in APL cases than in other subtypes of AML (Figure 3c; Supplementary Figure S2c). This evidence concerns the gene IRF8 and acute myeloid leukemia.