SMPD3 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Furthermore, an approach based on analysis of DNA methylation in HCC, gene reexpression in cells after epigenetic unmasking, and subsequent validation identified sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 3 (SMPD3) and neurofilament heavy polypeptide (NEFH) as tumor suppressor genes differentially methylated in HCC [25].