It was reported that the expression of gluconeogenic enzymes PCK1, PCK2, and FBP1 predominantly decreased in HCC, and their forced expression induced apoptosis under glucose deprivation conditions, demonstrating the anti-tumor effects of gluconeogenesis in HCC (Yang et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2018b; Tang et al., 2018). This evidence concerns the gene PCK2 and hepatocellular carcinoma.