To investigate the relevance of AAA+ proteases in hematopoiesis, we surveyed the Leukemia MILE (Microarray Innovations in Leukemia) datasets available in the BloodSpot database (https://www.fobinf.com/?gene=AFG3L2&dataset=all_mile;https://www.fobinf.com/?gene=YME1L1&dataset=all_mile) and found that both AFG3L2 and YME1L have elevated expressions across various subtypes of leukemia including AML (acute myeloid leukemia), ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) and CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia), when compared to healthy bone marrow (Bagger et al., 2019; Haferlach et al., 2008). Here, AFG3L2 is linked to acute lymphoblastic leukemia.