Interestingly, the L-R interactions between the pro-metastatic hepatocytes and immune cells are enriched of interactions known to be immunosuppressive, such as CCL20/CCR624, PTDSS1/JMJD625, RPS19/C5AR126 and MIF/CD7427, suggesting an important activity of pro-metastatic hepatocytes in the immunosuppressive environment of HCC. This evidence concerns the gene MIF and hepatocellular carcinoma.