SPTAN1 and neoplasm: In order to identify if SPTAN1 reduction is associated with a mesenchymal phenotype, we determined the expression levels of E-Cadherin, a very well-known marker of EMT changes in epithelial cells [22], and Vimentin, a type III intermediate filament protein, which is often upregulated in mesenchymal cells and has been pathologically associated with tumor invasion and metastasis [23].