IFNG and hepatocellular carcinoma: To assessgalectin-9 expression in HCC under interferon (IFN)-γstimulation, we exposed two HCC cell lines, namely, the HepG2 and Hep3B cell lines, to recombinant human IFN-γ to mimic the microenvironment of hepatitis virus-associated HCC, an environment in which high concentrations of IFN-γ have been detected.