Although TGF‐β plays essential roles in the liver disease progression, including initial liver injury, fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma,9 it is demonstrated that TGF‐β suppressed HCV RNA replication and protein expression depending on TGF‐β/SMAD signalling pathway in HCV sub‐genomic replicon system, and TGF‐β1 could directly suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication in the cell culture system.10, 11. The gene discussed is TGFB1; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.