Replication of HCV in Huh7.5 hepatoma cells in the form of a subgenomic replicon, which bears only the non-structural proteins of HCV NS3-5B, showed marked induction of liver stem cell markers such as Lgr5, cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) doublecortin and CaM kinase-like-1 (DCAMKL-1) and CD133 in conjunction with liver progenitor cell makers such as α-fetoprotein (AFP). Here, KRT19 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.