SLC10A1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Later, a study from Stephan Urban’s group separately proved that NTCP is a functional HBV receptor by comparing the gene expression pattern between the differentiated HepaRG cells and the naïve cells, followed by examining HBV infection efficiency after the small hairpin RNA-mediated silencing of NTCP in HepaRG cells and overexpression of NTCP in hepatoma cells [27].