Hypermethylation of the AJAP1 promoter has been shown to be a key regulatory mechanism accounting for its altered expression in HCC.6 One study found that low AJAP1 mRNA levels in HCC tissues were associated with poor outcome after curative hepatectomy, particularly for disease-free survival (DFS).14 In the present study, we showed that AJAP1 was highly expressed normal liver tissue, and was downregulated with HCC progression. The gene discussed is AJAP1; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.