SMAD3 and cancer: TGF‐β, a multifunctional cytokine, could activate autophagy in many human cancer cells.51, 52, 53 As transcriptional mediators of TGF‐β signalling, Smad2/3 have also been shown to control autophagy.38, 54 Our results showed that TIPE2 overexpression reduced the protein levels of p‐Smad2, p‐Smad3, and TGF‐β compared to the Mock group, whereas TIPE2 knockdown promoted the expression levels of these proteins compare to the sh‐Scb group.