Western blot results showed that the induced cell proliferation in Slit3-repressed PLC and LM3 cells was accompanied with an induction of cyclin D3 and survivin (Fig. 3), suggesting that Slit3 down-regulation induced HCC cell growth through activation of G1/S phase transition and inhibition of apoptosis. This evidence concerns the gene HSPG2 and hepatocellular carcinoma.