For example, the core signature was enriched in the GO molecular function (Fig. 4A) ‘aldehyde dehydrogenase [NAD(P)+] activity’ attributed to the increased expression of the stemness markers ALDH1A3, ALDH3A1 and several GO biological processes relating to cell differentiation and development attributed to cancer stem cell associated genes such as CD109 and SOX9. This evidence concerns the gene CD109 and cancer.