In the downregulated gene category, human HCC profile was strongly mimicked by about 40 of the 46 identified genes (Fig. 1c), including fatty acid binding protein 1 (FABP1), TTR, EPCAM, apolipoproteins (APOA1/2, APOB, APOC1/3, APOE), MTTP, complement 3 and 5 (C3/C5), among other, reflecting ~ 85% concordance with patients’ tumour samples. This evidence concerns the gene APOE and hepatocellular carcinoma.