CD44 and neoplasm: HOTTIP is highly upregulated in pancreatic CSCs and promotes stemness features, such as the ability to form spheroids, tumours, and expression of stemness-related transcription factors (LIN28, NANOG, OCT4, and SOX2) and other proteins (ALDH1, CD44, and CD133) via binding WDR5 and so stimulating HOXA9, activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.