POU5F1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Upon knockdown of Sox9 in HCC cells (Huh7 and Hep3B), we observed a downregulation of stemness-associated genes including BMI-1, CD133, Sox2, Nestin, Notch1 and Oct4, and chemoresistance-related genes (ABCB1, ABCC6, ABCG2) by qPCR compared with non-target control (NTC).