As shown in Fig. 4a, JNK inhibitor sharply attenuated the expression of p-JNK, p-c-JUN, c-JUN as well as LOXL2 in HCC cells grown on higher stiffness substrate, and shRNA-c-JUN also decreased LOXL2 expression remarkably (Fig. 4b). Here, MAPK8 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.