The RARα activator, ATRA (all-trans retinoic acid), which is used as the leading treatment for patients suffering from acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a hematopoietic malignancy characterized by the t(15;17) translocation that juxtaposes PML (promyelocytic leukemia) to RARα, which is a potent inhibitor of LAMP2A expression and, accordingly, of CMA. This evidence concerns the gene RARA and acute promyelocytic leukemia.