Fig. 4

CSC production was stimulated by HBV. HBx promotes AFP synthesis to stimulate the normal reprogramming of liver cells, which is essential for developing HCC progenitor/stem cells. Among the several cell lines that originate from normal hepatocytes, PreS1 upregulates the expression of CD133, CD117, and CD90. PreS1 acts as a novel oncoprotein, vital in the establishment and maintenance of CSCs during HCC’s pathogenesis