Given the nature of TMED9 as a secretory cargo selector and the requirement of TMED9 and CNIH4 for metastases shown above, TGFα as well as other ligands previously implicated in tumor progression or metastases—SONIC HEDGEHOG (SHH) [6], FGF1 [65], FGF19 [44], and TRAIL [66]—were tested for their ability to rescue the decreased migratory phenotype of shTMED9 cells. Here, FGF1 is linked to neoplasm.