Unlike most other CXC chemokine receptors, CXCR7 lacks the specific DRYLAIV motif, hence CXCR7 fails to mobilize Ca2+ from intracellular stores or extracellular sources after ligand engagement, which is the hallmark of chemokine receptor activation.18 Thus our interest is to explore the role and the mechanism of CXCR7 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. Here, ACKR3 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.