ZEB1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: ZEB1 can also influence the metabolism of HCC cells by upregulating the expression of the muscle isoform of PFKM (phosphofructokinase), a rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis, which stimulates glycolysis and leads to increased malignant phenotypes through promotion of the Warburg effect [113], a well-known mechanism used by cells undergoing EMT to fuel metabolic needs [117,118].