Recently, Malfettone et al. have shown that TGF-β-induced plasticity in epithelial-like HCC cells, characterized by a partial EMT phenotype, promotes a switch in the expression of stem-related marker genes from EPCAM or CD133 to CD44, accompanied by a switch to an enhanced migratory and invasive phenotype. The gene discussed is TGFB1; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.