Virtually all of the EpCAM+ and/or CD90+ selected cells coexpressed CD44, a marker associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition11,15 and tumorigenic breast cancer stem cells,16 and CD146 (not shown, 83.5±9.8%), a marker associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer.17 Here, THY1 is linked to breast cancer.