Moreover, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays revealed that miR-196a expression in tumor cells was greater when hnRNPA1 expression was upregulated in the nearby CAFs, whereas suppressing hnRNPA1 expression in CAFs resulted in a low miR-196a signal in tumor cells (Fig. 4j; Additional file 1: Figure S9c, d). This evidence concerns the gene HNRNPA1 and neoplasm.