One study revealed that CXXC5 expression was reduced in most HCC tissue samples compared with normal tissues, and the competitive binding of CXXC5 to HDAC1 was found to upregulate TGF-β signaling and thus induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HCC cells under in vitro test conditions [5]. This evidence concerns the gene TGFB1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.