SOAT1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Since they are regulated functionally by the cholesterol level of the plasma membrane, the SOAT1 knockdown and treatment with avasimibe reduced the cholesterol levels of the plasma membrane of the tumour cells, hence they concluded that downregulation of SOAT1 suppresses the proliferation and migration of HCC cells by reducing the cholesterol content of the plasma membrane, and then inhibiting the integrin and TGFβ signalling pathways (Figure 3).