Further flow cytometric results revealed a significantly increased proportion of exhausted CD8+ T cells (i.e., PD-1+, TIM-3+, or PD-1+TIM-3+) and an evident decrease in CD8+ T-cell activity (indicated by the proportion of IFNγ+ or Granzyme B+ (GzmB+) cells) in HCC-bearing mice overexpressing mEPDR1 compared to tumor-bearing control mice (Figs. 2E and EV2C). This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and hepatocellular carcinoma.