|
Liver Cancer |
|
|
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer, mainly due to the chronic infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Other risk factors include exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV), and alcoholic cirrhosis. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the gene Foxm1 is essential for the development of HCC and is negatively regulated by the p19(ARF) tumor suppressor (reference).
HBxAg The genome of HBV encodes an X antigen (HBxAg) which plays a critical role in hepatocarcinogenesis. HBxAg can inactivate several tumor suppressors such as p53 (reference), p21, and pRB. Aflatoxin B1 Aflatoxin is produced by fungi on peanuts, corn, and other nuts and grains. Aflatoxin B1 may interact with DNA, resulting in a G to T mutation in p53 (review).
Review Articles: From Structure to Function: New Insights into Hepatitis C Virus RNA Replication - J. Biol. Chem., 2006.
|