NIFK and cancer: Through transcriptome sequencing of our HBx-expressing HepG2 cells and analysis of HCC patient data from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and genotype-tissue expression (GTEx), we identified seven HBx-related genes, nuclear VCP-like (NVL), WD repeat domain 75 (WDR75), NOP58 nucleolar protein (NOP58), Brix domain-containing protein 1 (BRIX1), deoxynucleotidyltransferase terminal interacting protein 2 (DNTTIP2), MKI67 FHA domain interacting nucleolar phosphoprotein (NIFK), and ribosome production factor 2 (RPF2), associated with poor prognosis.