TERT and hepatocellular carcinoma: Moreover, other genes including TERT (its resulting protein is a subunit of telomerase and maintains genomic integrity) and RPS6KA3 hold frequently somatic mutations in HBV-associated HCC [79,80,81], while alterations in genes such as ARID1A and ARID2 (chromatin regulator genes, encoding for chromatin remodeling factors) can cause epigenetic modifications leading to HCC development in these patients [82].