We postulated that over-expression of EAR-2 in vivo would inhibit hematopoietic differentiation as it does in leukemia cell lines, and thus result in myeloid dysplasia, as characterized by the cardinal features of MDS: stem cell competitive advantage, dysplastic hematopoiesis, peripheral blood cytopenias, and progression to acute leukemia. Here, NR2F6 is linked to myelodysplastic syndrome.