Effector CD8+ T cells in both early-stage and advanced HCC were found to have distinct transcriptomic signatures, cytotoxic phenotypes, and evolution trajectories.13 A recent study identified SOX4 and DTHD1 as the top DEGs in HCC, which were associated with key interactions between T cells and NK cells.35 Treg cells were found to uniquely overexpress immune checkpoint molecules, including CTLA4, TNFRSF4, and TIGIT. The gene discussed is SOX4; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.