For example, on the one hand, in hepatocellular carcinoma, CtBP1 acts as a transcriptional co-blocker to inhibit cellular expression of E-cadherin, which results in the loss of intercellular adhesion and promotes pathological processes such as epithelial–mesenchymal transition, cancer cell migration and invasion into the stroma. Here, CTBP1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.