The former group (32 downregulated TFs) were mostly the members of the zinc finger gene family, such as ZNF38228 (Fig. 2c, f), whereas the latter group (39 upregulated TFs) included 29 potential oncogenic Homeobox genes such as HOXB13 and DLX129 (Fig. 2d, e, g, h), suggesting genome-wide DNA methylation anomalies may have led to the dysregulation of multiple TFs involved in a variety of molecular processes contributing to ESCC initiation and progression. Here, HOXB13 is linked to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.