The DEGs were translated using genecode V22 official annotation file, and the heatmap is shown in Fig. 1E. The top 10 upregulated genes in the HCC group, including METTL7B, BCAM, CLDN18, DEFA1B, SOCS3, HBG2, GSTM1, RNASE3, ITGA9 and S100P, were selected for follow-up study. Here, DEFA1B is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.