MYC and cancer: It has been well established that Wnt activation induces the expression of stemness genes c-Myc (a regulator gene and proto-oncogene), Nanog (a transcription factor sustaining pluripotency of embryonic stem cells), Oct4 (octamer-binding transcription factor 4), Sox2 (sex determining region Y-box 2), and cancer stem cell-associated genes CD44 (cluster of differentiation 44), Snai1 (a zinc finger protein regulating epithelial to mesenchymal transition), Twist (a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor).