The top upregulated genes included gata2b (fc = 7.35), notch1b (fc = 2.07), gfi1ab (fc = 2.25) and mmp9 (fc = 2.36), which are required for maintenance and/or expansion of HSCs and multi-potent progenitors, or strongly implicated in leukaemia transformation [36–44]. This evidence concerns the gene MMP9 and leukemia.