Therefore, to further understand the role of TMPRSS6 in iron homeostasis, cellular models including primary hepatocytes and liver-derived hepatocyte cell lines, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells (Hep3B, HepG2, Huh7), have been widely used because they possess both the protein and signalling machinery controlling hepcidin expression3,19–24. This evidence concerns the gene HAMP and hepatocellular carcinoma.