POU5F1 and non-small cell lung carcinoma: UBQLN1 was then knocked down in NSCLC cells and we found that UBQLN1 knockdown increased the expression of CSC markers (CD133, KLF4, Oct4) (Figure 5b – 5d), ALDH1 activity (Figure 5e), and sphere-formation ability (figure 5f – 5g), which were rescued by PGC1α overexpression.