Huang WC, et al. - In view of previous reports indicating antiviral activity against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) by the interferon-induced protein 44-like (IFI44L) gene, researchers investigated its precise role and function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Researchers explored the characteristics of hepatic cancer stem cells (CSCs) by successfully enriching hepatic cancer stem-like cells from three established liver cancer cell lines (Hep3B, HepG2, and PLC lines). Findings demonstrated that in HCC, IFI44L is a novel tumor suppressor that impacts cancer stemness, metastasis, and drug resistance via regulating Met/Src signaling pathway and can serve as an important prognostic marker.