title: Hepatitis B virus X protein in liver tumor microenvironment.
abstract: Encoded by the hepatitis B virus, hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is a multifunctional, potentially oncogenic protein that acts primarily during the progression from chronic hepatitis B to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In recent decades, it has been established that chronic inflammation generates a tumor-supporting microenvironment. HCC is a typical chronic inflammation-related cancer, and inflammation is the main risk factor for HCC progression. The viral transactivator HBx plays a pivotal role in the initiation and maintenance of hepatic inflammatory processes through interactions with components of the tumor microenvironment including tumor cells and the surrounding peritumoral stroma. The complex interactions between HBx and this microenvironment are thought to regulate tumor growth, progression, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. In this review, we have summarized the current evidence evaluating the function of HBx and its contribution to the inflammatory liver tumor microenvironment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, P. O. Box: 410008, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, P. O. Box: 410008, Changsha, China. rr_xy1234@126.com.
authors.forename: Rong-Rong
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Blood Transfusion, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, P. O. Box: 410008, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, P. O. Box: 410008, Changsha, China. xgfan@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xue-Gong
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Fan
keywords: Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B virus X protein; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Inflammation; Tumor microenvironment