Furthermore, the conserved structure between MTCP1 and TCL1A proteins and similarities in the resulting murine and human CLL phenotype suggest shared activation of AKT and other leukemogenic pathways; pathways which may be independently activated as no observable change in Tcl1 expression was found in Eμ-MTCP1 mice and no observable change Mtcp1 expression was found in Eμ-TCL1 mice. The gene discussed is TCL1A; the disease is B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.