A luciferase assay showed that PEX5 3′-UTR activity was repressed by the miR-31-5p mimics and increased by the miR-31-5p inhibitor; however, no significant influence on these reporters was observed when the putative miR-31-5p binding site on PEX5 was mutated (Figure 3D-E), indicating that PEX5 is a direct target of miR-31-5p in HCC. This evidence concerns the gene PEX5 and hepatocellular carcinoma.