Effects of the TP53 p.R249S mutant on proliferation and clonogenic properties in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines: interaction with hepatitis B virus X protein.

Aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in many low-resource countries. Although its metabolites bind at several positions in TP53, a mutation at codon 249 (AGG to AGT, arginine to serine, p.R249S) accounts for 90% of TP53 mutations in AFB(1)-related HCC.