Activin and Hepatocyte Growth Factor Promotes Colorectal Cancer Stemness and Metastasis through FOXM1/SOX2/CXCR4 Signaling

The authors sequentially treated colorectal cancer cells with activin and HGF and examined CSC marker expression, self-renewal, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. The roles of forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) and sex-determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2), two stemness-related transcription factors, in activin/HGF-induced aggressive phenotype were explored.