Fig. 4

SOCS6 decreases the sphere formation ability of ESCC cells. a Cells were cultured in serum-free medium for 10–14 days to allow the formation of CSC-like spheres. The sphere formation ability was significantly decreased in cells overexpressing SOCS6. Representative photographs are shown; b–d quantification of spheres (n = 6). The data are presented as mean ± SD, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001