SOX2 and cancer: Moreover, the studies have also shown that CXCL/CXCR and PI3K/AKT/STAT3 signaling pathways participate in the regulation of EMT- and cancer stem cell- associated events, and up-regulate the expression of Snail, Twist, ZEB1, Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc, Nanog and KLF4 in colorectal cancers [25].