Fig. 2

MiR-106b enhances tumour-initiating cell capacity without or with IR. a miR-106b induces stem cell-like self-renewal properties. The sphere sizes are shown in the left panels, and the numbers of spheres are shown in the right panels. Scale bars represent 50 mm. **p<0.01. b Genes important for stem cell maintenance, such as CD133, Sox2, oct4 and bmi1, were analysed with a qRT-PCR array. *p<0.05. c The ability of colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines after exposure to radiation to form colon spheres was analysed. Sphere sizes are shown in the left panels, and the numbers of spheres are shown in the right panels. Scale bars represent 50 mm. **p<0.01. d Genes important for stem cell maintenance, i.e., CD133 and Sox2, were analysed by western blot after irradiation (4 Gy).