Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been demonstrated to be involved in Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocarcinogenesis through activation of the STAT3 pathway. The sustained activation of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway is frequently associated with repression of SOCS3, which is both a target gene and a negative regulator of STAT3. However, the silencing mechanism of SOCS3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be elucidated. Here, we showed that the repression of SOCS3 and sustained activation of IL-6/STAT3 pathway in HBV-producing HCC cells were caused by HBV-induced mitochondrial ROS accumulation. Mechanistic studies revealed that ROS-mediated DNA methylation resulted in the silencing of SOCS3. Decreased SOCS3 expression significantly promoted the proliferation of HCC cells and growth of tumor xenografts in mice. Further studies revealed that HBVinduced ROS accumulation upregulated the expression of the transcription factor, Snail, which bound to the E-boxes of SOCS3 promoter and mediated the epigenetic silencing of SOCS3 in association with DNMT1 and HDAC1. In addition, we found that the expression of Snail and SOCS3 were inversely correlated in HBV-associated HCC patients, suggesting that SOCS3 and/or Snail could be used as prognostic markers in HCC pathogenesis. Taken together, our data show that HBV-induced mitochondrial ROS production represses SOCS3 expression through Snail-mediated epigenetic silencing, leading to the sustained activation of IL-6/STAT3 pathway and ultimately contributing to hepatocarcinogenesis. Cell Death and Differentiation (2016) 23, 616-627; doi:10.1038/cdd.2015.129; published online 22 January 2016 Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the world.1 Chronic HBV infection and chronic liver disease that progress from hepatitis to cirrhosis are major risk factors for the development of HCC. Options for the treatment of HCC are quite limited because the molecular, cellular and environmental mechanisms that drive HBV-associated HCC pathogenesis are poorly understood.Pro-inflammatory cytokines contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of many tumor types.2 Among them, elevated IL-6 is closely related to HCC development and progression.3 Elevated IL-6 was found in patients with viral and alcoholic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. In these conditions, IL-6 is expressed mainly by myeloid cells/leukocytes. 4 Recent studies have confirmed that upregulation of IL-6 in human HCC, where it is expressed by the cancer cells, also has a central role in a gene expression network via an autocrine signaling pathway that drives tumor development and progression.5 However, it remains unknown whether IL-6 autocrine signaling can be stimulated by HBV during hepatocarcinogensis.Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are continuously generated by cells to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. 6 Chronic virus infection may enhance ROS production and cause oxidative stress in host cells.7 Continued oxidative...