HNF1B and cancer: There are studies which define HNF1B as a pro-differentiation factor with a potent tumour-suppressive activity in healthy tissues6,7,19, while other studies point to its role as an oncogene in tissue-derived cancer cells which have undergone malignant transformation, inducing a cancerous phenotype and activating the formation of invasive phenotypes through epithelial-mesenchymal transition11,14.