To evaluate whether mutations/polymorphisms at the FAT10 promoter could account for the aberrant overexpression of FAT10 in the tumors of HCC patients, we sequenced approximately 1.3 kb of the FAT10 promoter in the tumor, and paired non-tumorous tissues from 37 Chinese HCC patients and 39 normal healthy Chinese individuals of a similar age. Here, UBD is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.