To further understand how circZNF609 activated Hedgehog pathway in the regulation of HCC development, western blot analysis was conducted at first to detect the expression of several proteins related to Hedgehog pathway and uncovered that only the expression of GLI2 (a key protein molecule concerning Hedgehog pathway) was lowered by circZNF609 knockdown in HCCLM3 and MHCC-97H cells (Fig. 4a). Here, GLI2 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.