MECOM and hepatocellular carcinoma: To confirm this phenomenon in human, we measured the human EVI1 mRNA levels and protein expression in HCC cells (HepG2 and SMMC-7721) after the transient transfection of pEGFP-HBx and the control vectors, and the results showed the same in human (Figure 4B), western blot analysis also showed EVI1 protein was increased by enforced HBx expression in HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells (Figure 4C).