TGFB1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: All biomarker candidates responded to TGF-β1 and also to galunisertib treatment, but, as expected, there were some differences between invasive and non-invasive HCC cells, according to their early and late TGF-β signature.9 In the HepG2 and Hep3B cells, for example, the expression of the biomarker candidates after 2 h of TGF-β1 treatment was very low, whereas their expression increased after 24 h of incubation.