The ability of amino acids to stimulate signaling even in the absence of insulin, and the synergy of amino acids with insulin, was confirmed for hepatocytes (Krause et al. 1996) and for other insulin-sensitive cell types, including muscle cells, adipocytes, hepatoma cells, CHO cells and pancreatic β-cells (Hara et al. 1998; Wang et al. 1998; Fox et al. 1998; Patti et al. 1998; Xu et al. 1998; Iiboshi et al. 1999). Here, INS is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.