Because several lines of evidence documented that Yes-Associated Protein (YAP)1 is closely associated with cancer stem cell (CSC)-like phenotypes including EMT, stemness, and drug resistance, we wondered if YAP1 is involved in CUG2-induced EMT.
We thus wonder whether CUG2 also induces stemness, a characteristic of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and further examine the molecular mechanism of this phenotype.
The suppression of β‑catenin decreased cancer stem cell (CSC)‑like phenotypes, indicating that β‑catenin is involved in CUG2‑mediated CSC‑like phenotypes.
Taken together, we suggest that STAT1‑HDAC4 signaling induces malignant tumor features such as EMT and sphere formation in CUG2‑overexpressing cancer cells.