RALYL, a liver progenitor-specific gene, was recently found to promote tumorigenicity, self-renewal, chemotherapy resistance, and metastasis of HCC by up-regulating TGF-β signaling and subsequent PI3K/AKT and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling to enhance HCC stemness (125). Here, STAT3 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.