Although OR-6 and Huh 7.5.1 cells have a cancer phenotype, this study found that several genes including PHOSPHO2, KLHL23, TSNAX-DISC1, TRIM39 and RPP21 were upregulated by SOF in OR-6 cells and the expression levels of these genes were higher in tumor than in non-tumor parts of patients with HCC according to the TCGA database. Here, KLHL23 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.