To investigate the underlying mechanisms by which CsGRN promotes CCA and HCC cell migration and invasion, Western blotting was performed to show the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) relevant markers. The results indicated that overexpressed-CsGRN PLC and RBE cell significantly increased vimentin, N-cadherin and β-catenin, and decreased ZO-1 compared with the control group, indicating that CsGRN is involved in the EMT process in CCA and HCC cells (Fig. 8a, b). The relative mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in transfected PLC and RBE cells showed that the MMP2 level was higher in PLC-GRN cells and that the MMP2 and MMP9 levels were higher in RBE-GRN cells than in PLC-GFP cells or RBE-GFP cells (Fig. 8c). To further validate the effects of CsGRN on promoting cancer metastasis, we conducted animal experiments. By detecting the EMT-related indicators and relevant signalling pathway markers in Balb/c mouse liver immunised with rCsGRN protein (Fig. 8d), we found that the level of E-cadherin increased, but vimentin decreased with the immune time extended. The signal indictors p-ERK and p-AKT were used to determine the mechanisms of migration. The expression levels of p-ERK and p-AKT were dynamically changed. In detail, p-ERK reached a peak in 4 weeks after immunisation while p-AKT did in 2 weeks. The statistical data of Fig. 8a, b, d are shown in Additional file 2: Figure S2.Fig. 8 CsGRN promotes mesenchymal characteristics. a, b Western blotting was used to detecting the expression of EMT-relevant markers in transfected PLC and RBE cells. PLC-GRN/RBE-GRN cells showed the upregulation of vimentin, N-cadherin and β-catenin, and downregulation of ZO-1; however, the expression level of E-cadherin had not changed. c Relative mRNA expression of MMPs in transfected PLC and RBE cells. MMP2 expression was higher in PLC-GRN cells, and MMP2 and MMP9 were higher in RBE-GRN cells than in PLC-GFP cells or RBE-GFP cells. **P < 0.01, compared with control group. d The expression of EMT-relevant markers and relevant signalling pathways indicators was detected in the liver from Balb/c mice injected with rCsGRN protein. The level of E-cadherin increased, and the level of vimentin decreased in rCsGRN protein-treated mice with an extended immune time extended (no change in N-cadherin). The expression levels of p-ERK and p-AKT were dynamically changed. p-ERK reached a peak in 4 weeks after immunisation, while p-AKT did at 2 weeks