Considering the potential important role NKCC1 plays in HCC metastasis, functional validation of NKCC1 was performed by overexpression, RNA interference (RNAi) and activity blocking with the inhibitor in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating the positive association of NKCC1 with the proliferation and invasion abilities of HCC cells. The gene discussed is SLC12A2; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.