For instance, cancer-associated MSCs contribute to HCC stemness and tumorigenesis, mediated in part by lncRNA MUF acting as a ceRNA for miR-34a and subsequently promoting tumor sphere formation and EMT as a result of the upregulated miR-34a target Snail1 (Yan et al., 2017). This evidence concerns the gene SNAI1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.