In the current study, we have initially illustrated that BAP31 promoted HCC migration, invasion and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Ectopic expression of BAP31 induced a more aggressive phenotype, with mesenchymal-like morphology and disruption of epithelial marker E-cadherin, and a more invasive boundary in liver xenografts established in mice compared to BAP31 depletion group. Here, CDH1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.