ALDH1A1 and cancer: The identification of ALDH1A1 as the enzyme responsible for erythrose oxidation in cancer cells is interesting since some cancer cells are known to overexpress various isoforms of aldehyde dehydrogenase, and it was reported that knockdown of ALDH1A1 and/or another isoform (encoded by ALDH1A3) in A549 cells significantly impaired cell growth and motility [43].