CREB3L2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: To validate the mRNA level of CREB3L2 in the public dataset, we performed qRT-PCR assay on 30 pairs of HCC samples (Cohort 1) and showed that 56.66% (17/30) of HCC patients had at least two-fold upregulation of CREB3L2 (Fig. 1D).