MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression among various species.Through regulating their down-stream targets,miRNAs have a large number of biologically diverse effects including cell development and tumorigenesis.We have demonstrated that EpCAM+AFP+hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)cases have a gene expression profile in tumor resembling hepatic cancer stem cells (CSCs) with the capacity for self-renewal and differentiation,and asmall number of purified EpCAM+AFP+ HCC cells are could initiate metastatic HCC in NOD/SCID mice in a hierarchical fashion.