TWIST1 and neoplasm: Further, BCL-2 was found to stimulate epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pre-malignant mammary epithelial cells and in hepatocarcinoma cells, where the formation of a BCL-2/TWIST1 complex facilitates the nuclear transport of TWIST1, leading to transcriptional activation of TWIST target genes that sustain tumor cell plasticity, metastasis and vasculogenic processes [21,22].