SOX9 and neoplasm: As to their regulatory functions, several studies have demonstrated that miR-138 activates the central cytokine NF-κB, promotes lipid raft formation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [86], and induction of miR-138 by pro-inflammatory cytokines causes endothelial cell dysfunction [87]; miR-145 targets the SOX9/ADAM17 axis to regulate tumor-initiating cells’ properties in head and neck cancers and suppresses the IL-6-mediated paracrine signaling pathway in the tumor microenvironment [88].