Several factors contribute to the EMT in tumor cells, GSEA of HCC tissues revealed that in a Piezo1-high group, TGF-β signaling and the EMT are enriched; TGF-β can promote the EMT by regulating the expression of Snail transcription factors in the microenvironment; and Piezo1 promotes the proliferation, invasion and migration of HCC cells through Smad2/3, the canonical TGF-β signaling pathway50, 51. Here, SMAD2 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.