Identification of β-glucosidase 1 as a biomarker and its high expression in hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with resistance to chemotherapy drugs. 
Long-term prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is challenging, and novel biomarkers are needed to predict patient risk and serve as potential therapeutic target.  We found β-glucosidase 1 is significantly overexpressed and activated in primary HCC tissue and multiple HCC cell lines.  β-Glucosidase 1 expression is associated with predicting prognosis of HCC patients under chemotherapy.  Silencing β-glucosidase 1 inhibits growth and survival of HCC cells, with preferential inhibitory effects on high β-glucosidase 1-expressing cells.  Combination of chemo drug with β-glucosidase 1 inhibitor sensitized HCC cells to chemotherapy.  Our data support β-glucosidase 1 as a HCC biomarker due to its prognosis significance.