Overall, these results demonstrate that TNF-α-activated NF-κB binds directly to the promoter region of miR-497 and down-regulates miR-497, which, in turn, upregulates the expression of SALL4 and other self-renewal regulatory factors and finally contributes to the self-renewal and metastasis malignant features of HCC (Figure 6G). This evidence concerns the gene SALL4 and hepatocellular carcinoma.