Similarly, western blot analysis showed that TGF-β inhibition by SB-431542 restored the expressions of NDUFB1, UQCRCII, COXIV, and ATP5A, whereas reduced the expressions of HIF-1α, HK2, PKM2, and LDHA under NSG1 overexpression (Fig. 5E), suggesting that TGF-β is indispensable for NSG1-induced metabolic reprogramming in ESCC. Here, HK2 is linked to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.