Adhesion molecules and cytokines playing a critical role in niche retention were altered in AML MSCs: a reduction in SCF, thrombopoietin, angiopoietin-1, and VCAM-1 [77,133], and an increase in CD146, integrin-α5 and CXCL12 [130,133] were shown. The gene discussed is KITLG; the disease is acute myeloid leukemia.