Here, Thy-1 could account, in part, for the cancer cell stemness induced by the ECM1-αXβ2 integrin association because, on the one hand, there will be greater Thy-1 expression and, on the other, the Thy-1 integrin partner will be sequestered by the ECM1 binding; however, this is a possibility that remains to be investigated. The gene discussed is ECM1; the disease is cancer.