Spearman correlation analysis showed that expression level of stemness markers including CD44 (cluster of differentiation 44), MET (MET proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase), CD133 (cluster of differentiation 133), FUT4 (fucosyltransferase 4), ACVR1 (activin A receptor type 1), mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase), and KLF4 (Krüppel-like factor 4) were positively correlated with IARS2 level, indicating the regulation of cancer cell stemness might be a reason for IARS2 promoting metastasis (Fig. 4E; Fig. S8). This evidence concerns the gene KLF4 and cancer.