Moreover, YBX1 facilitates proliferation, invasion, and pluripotency maintenance in ESCC cells in vitro, increasing the sphere-forming ability of TE1 cells and regulating the expression of EMT and stem cell-associated proteins, including MMP1, MMP2, and β-catenin (Liu L. et al., 2024). This evidence concerns the gene YBX1 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.