AKT1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In contrast to unchanged mRNA levels, the protein levels of ABHD17C were greatly decreased in USP35-deficient HCC cells, and phosphorylated PI3K (p-PI3K) and AKT (p-AKT), which indicates the activation of PI3K/AKT pathway, were also significantly repressed in USP35-deficient HCC cells compared to control cells (Fig. 3C, D).