In quiescent HSCs, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MARK) is strongly phosphorylated, thus activating NF-kB and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade signaling pathways (24), leading to an increased release of IL8, which promotes the invasion and metastasis of hepatoma (25, 26). This evidence concerns the gene WNK2 and hepatocellular carcinoma.