Furthermore, we found that CRBP-1 induced the intracellular levels of RA, which further activated transcriptional factor RARs/RXRs and transcriptionally promoted the expression of WIF1, thus enhancing the degradation of β-catenin, consequently suppressed the expression of cancer stemness related genes leading to the inhibition of HCC stemness properties (Fig. 6). This evidence concerns the gene RARS1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.