The gut microbiome, an ecosystem formed by commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms colonizing the gastrointestinal tract, may affect both immune function and carcinogenesis. In a study focusing on the fecal microbiome in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Faitová et al. investigated perturbations in gut microbial composition, and tried to characterize a potential signature for CLL-related gut dysbiosis. They showed less microbiome diversity and less enrichment of short chain fatty acid-producing bacterial taxa in the CLL microbiome compared to that of healthy controls and, therefore, hypothesized a connection between the microbiome and immune dysfunction in CLL.

ETV6-related thrombocytopenia (ETV6-RT) is caused by germline heterozygous mutations of ETV6, a gene encoding a hematopoietic transcriptional repressor. At least 15 different ETV6 variants have been associated with thrombocytopenia, although their pathogenic role has not always been clarified. Faleschini and colleagues demonstrated that mutant transcription factors do not enter the nucleus to exert their activity, thus increasing our knowledge on the molecular basis of ETV6-RT.