HNF4A and infection: Future work will focus on: (i) in vivo grass carp infection models to dissect gcHnf4α’s tissue-specific roles; (ii) screening for Hnf4α agonists (e.g., natural bile acid derivatives) to enhance anti-pathogen-directed immune responses; and (iii) exploring cross-talk between gcHnf4α and other immune hubs in polymicrobial infections.