NME1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: NM23 silencing in hepatoma and colon carcinoma cell lines resulted in upregulation of the membrane associated matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), increased Rac1 signaling and activation of several pro-invasive signaling pathways such as MAPK (mitogen activated protein kinase)/SAPK (stress-activated protein kinases), Akt [8].