IER3 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In these key genes, IER3 was found to be upregulated in HCC and suggested as a potential prognostic biomarker for HCC (He et al., 2022); in addition, IER3 was also found to play a vital role in the cell viability, growth and migration of HCC (Emma et al., 2016; Kwon et al., 2013).