CCN1 promotes growth and survival of AML cells through the MEK/ERK pathway, with up-regulation of c-Myc and Bcl-xL, an anti-apoptotic protein of the Bcl2-family, and down-regulation of Bax, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family (Niu et al. 2014). Here, CCN1 is linked to acute myeloid leukemia.