TGFB1 and cancer: However, it is also conceivable that Prdm16 might function to suppress metastasis induced by other TGF-β superfamily members, such as Activins and BMPs, which are known to signal through Smad4, and can enhance malignancy and promote cancer metastasis in a variety of human malignancies (Attisano and Wrana, 2000; Feng and Derynck, 2005; Pickup et al., 2017).