In this study, there are opposing effects between miR-23a (repression) and miR-27a (promotion) on cell migration and EMT in HCC cells, suggesting that miR-23a/miR-27a may play distinctive roles in tumor progression and metastasis through two different signaling axes, such as the miR-23a-BMPR2-Smad-Snail axis and the miR-27a-TMEM170B-Twist-β-catenin. This evidence concerns the gene SNAI1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.