Pseudotime analysis showed that NDUFA4L2+ Fib cells were positioned earlier on the differentiation trajectory than were NDUFA4L2+CRYAB+ CAF cells, presumably because NDUFA4L2+ Fib cells gradually differentiated into NDUFA4L2+CRYAB+ CAF cells with the development of HCC. Here, COXFA4L2 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.