As expected, ectopic expression of LIMK1 or CDK5, but not LIMK1‐D460A or CDK5‐K33T mutants, significantly increased the expression of β‐catenin target genes, including c‐myc, c‐jun, cyclin D1 and twist in ESCC cells (Figure6A). This evidence concerns the gene CDK5 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.