Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) is an oncogene that is overexpressed in all cancers. Although the oncogenic function of AEG-1 has been studied in tumor cells, as yet the role of AEG-1 in tumor microenvironment cells has not been analyzed. Using immunofluorescence it was documented that AEG-1 is expressed at a high level in macrophages, and functional studies documented that macrophage AEG-1 plays an important role in regulating NF-κB activation and thereby initiation of hepatocarcinogenesis. For details, see article by Robertson and colleagues on page 6184.