CD44 and neoplasm: Moreover, the CXCL12γ isoform has been shown to accelerate tumor progression in CRPC by promoting the PCSC phenotype via CXCR4-mediated PKCα/NF-κB activation, resulting in an increase in the population of CD133+CD44+ CSC-like cells in CXCL12γ-overexpressing tumors (Koushyar et al., 2022).