Reduced miR-129-3p in HCC is related to its promoter hypermethylation, and re-expression of miR-129-3p reverses EMT, inhibits in vitro invasion and in vivo metastasis of HCC cells at least partially by targeting Aurora-A, which finally induces the inactivation of PI3K/Akt and p38-MAPK signaling pathways. Here, AKT1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.