However, it was found that PDCD4 directly interacts with the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor Twist (66), a protein which has been attributed to having a role in mesoderm formation, myogenesis, neurogenesis and neural crest cell migration and differentiation (67), as well as endowing stem cell characteristics in tumour cells and promoting EMT (68). This evidence concerns the gene PDCD4 and neoplasm.