Moreover, both the EPCAMhigh cells sorted from SiHa-SNAI2 cells, or transiently transfected with an EPCAM recombinant plasmid to rescue EPCAM expression in SiHa-SNAI2 cells, exhibited enhanced cell-renewal ability, suggesting that alteration of EpCMA is involved in the SNAI2-mediated stem-like phenotype in cervical cancer cells. The gene discussed is EPCAM; the disease is cervical carcinoma.