HK2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the CD133+ CSCs, isolated from the PLC/PRF/5 cell line, exhibited upregulation of the glycolytic genes GLUT1, HK2, PDK4, and PGM1 (phosphoglucomutase 1) and downregulation of the gluconeogenic genes G6Pase (glucose-6 phospatase) and PEPCK (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase), leading to decreased cellular ATP levels compared to CD133− non-CSCs [22].