In our previous study, the extracted CAFs were identified by immunofluorescence staining of α-SMA and Vimentin, and the morphological characteristics of CAFs could be observed [18], as shown in Fig. 1A. The distribution of CAFs in HCC tissues can be aggregated, sporadic, and localized along hepatic sinusoids, Fig. 1B showed two different distributions of CAFs in HCC. Here, TBX1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.