Retroviral RNA may play a part in liver cancer

Researchers have found that retroviral long-terminal-repeat (LTR) promoters -- a type of repetitive element that are widely distributed in the human genome -- are highly activated in hepatocellular carcinomas, the most common type of liver cancer. Intriguingly, these areas -- which are particularly activated in HCCs associated with viral hepatitis, are not normally activated in the liver but are in reproductive tissues such as testis and placenta.

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