Molecular characteristics and carcinogenic mechanisms of aflatoxin B1-associated hepatocellular carcinoma: Recent advances

Table 1 Different molecular characteristics between aflatoxin B1-associated hepatocellular carcinoma and non-aflatoxin B1-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Features	AAHCC	Non-AAHCC
Driven factor	The formation of AFB1-DNA adducts[46]	Chronic inflammation, metabolic reprogramming, etc.[47-49]
DNA adduct	AFB1-GA, AFB1-FAPYA[46]	Etheno-DNA adduct, DHP-DNA adduct, O6-methyl-G, etc.[52,53]
Gene mutation	TP53 R249S mutation (C>A transversion)[46]	TERT promoter mutations (ex. c.-124C>T, c.-146C>T) and CTNNB1 mutations[47]
Expression profile and signal pathway	Abnormal expression of genes involving in DNA repair and JAK-STAT[54]	Abnormal expression of genes involving in Wnt/β-catenin pathway[37]
DNA repair genes	Abnormal expression of XPC, XRCC4, XPD, etc.[46,55-57]	Abnormal expression of POLB[58]
Epigenetic modifications	Hypermethylation of RUNX3 and hypomethylation of TXNRD1, PCNA, CCNK, DIAPH3, RAB27A and HIST1H2BF[34]	HBx-mediated chromatin remodeling, hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes, and elevated H3K27me3; histone acetylation (H3K18Ac/H3K27Ac)[59,60]

AAHCC: Aflatoxin B1-associated hepatocellular carcinoma; AFB1: Aflatoxin B1; CCNK: Cyclin K; DHP-DNA: Pyridylhydroxybutyl-DNA; DIAPH3: Diaphanous three; HIST1H2BF: Histone H2B type 1-C/E/F/G/I; JAK: Janus kinase: PCNA: Proliferating cell nuclear antigen; POLB: DNA polymerase beta; RUNX3: Runt-related transcription factor 3; STAT: Signal transducer and activator of transcription; TP53: Tumor protein p53; TXNRD1: Thioredoxin reductase 1; XPC: Xeroderma pigmentosum, complementation group C; XPD: Xeroderma pigmentosum, complementation group D; XRCC4: X-ray repair cross-complementing protein 4.