The Role of HBx-mediated Transcriptional Activities and Epigenetic Alterations in Hepatitis B Virusinduced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatitis B x (HBx) is the smallest protein of 17kDa that is encoded by hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBx protein is more abundantly expressed in the cytoplasm than in the nucleus of HBV-infected hepatocytes. Considerable data suggest that HBx protein exploits the entire body of cellular signalling pathways by exerting its transcriptional transactivation activities and epigenetic alterations for viral survival and propagation. In this review, we intend to highlight the transcriptional activities of HBx protein and its role in inducing epigenetic anomalies that may lead to tumour initiation, aggressiveness and metastases.