Selective killing of leukemia cells: Yamanaka factors' new trick.

The four transcription factors of the Yamanaka cocktail (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and Myc, termed OSKM) are famously capable of reprogramming somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In an article recently published in Nature Communications, Wang et al describe the unexpected discovery that short-term activation of OSKM expression in acute myeloid leukemia cells in vivo induces apoptosis while negligibly affecting normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (Nat Commun 2019;10:5594). These findings have potential implications for novel anticancer strategies.