The effects of the MEK inhibitor U0126, which completely blocked MEK/ERK activity, and the growth inhibition observed in the HCT116 cell line following the silencing of YBX1 expression support the notion that the effects on YBX1 are likely to be mediated by ERK and/or RSK1/2 in colorectal cancer cells. This evidence concerns the gene MAPK1 and colorectal cancer.