EIF2B4 and hepatocellular carcinoma: 1). Next, the impact of Eif2b4 on immune evasion in HCC was investigated in vitro assays. Under different genetic backgrounds of Eif2b4 OE with or without Stat3 KO, we found that the pro-proliferative effect of Eif2b4 remained dependent on Stat3 (Fig. 6E). Furthermore, co-culture with CD8+ T cells demonstrated that the Eif2b4-Stat3 axis modulates the sensitivity of Hepa1–6 cells to cytotoxic T cell–mediated killing (Fig. 6F, G).