Our study also demonstrated that CAFs-derived COMP induced EMT and cancer stem cell-like properties to promote invasion and metastasis of HCC, which was in accord with previous findings that IL-6 secreted by CAFs confers stem-like properties in HCC via the upregulation of stemness-correlated transcription factors including Sox2, Oct4 and Nanog [34]. Here, NANOG is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.