AURKA and hepatocellular carcinoma: Given the role of AURKA in the development of HCC, together with the earlier described functional relevance of Ile31Phe in modulation of transforming property, we expect that individuals who carry the protective 31Phe allele, and thus might change AURKA function through modifying interactions with its binding partners and/or downstream apoptotic pathways, may be at lower susceptibility to developing HCC.