Hepatitis B viruses and DNA, illustration - Stock-Grafiken

Hepatitis B viruses and DNA. Conceptual image for viral oncogenesis. Hepatitis B viruses (HBV) can integrate into host DNA as insertional mutagens causing the activation of a cellular proto-oncogene. Integration of viral DNA into the human genome is considered an early event in the carcinogenic process and can induce, through insertional mutagenesis, the alteration of gene expression and chromosomal instability.