CLCF1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Furthermore, the researchers thereof reported that CAF-derived CLCF1 upregulated two key cytokines, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 6 (CXCL6) and TGFβ, in HCC cells through the Akt/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2)/STAT3 signaling pathway, which in turn induced HCC-cell stemness and TAN infiltration and polarization [69].