Self-renewal versus transformation: Fbxw7 deletion leads to stem cell activation and leukemogenesis.

Recent reports have demonstrated that specific tumor suppressors are important for both maintaining hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) quiescence and preventing leukemia development, suggesting a connection between these two activities. Matsuoka and colleagues (pp. 986-991) have further illustrated this theme by demonstrating that inactivation of the tumor suppressor Fbxw7 leads to HSC depletion by active cell cycling and the initiation of leukemia.