HPV16 E6 natural variants exhibit different activities in functional assays relevant to the carcinogenic potential of E6

Genetic studies have revealed natural amino acid variations within the human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 E6 oncoprotein. To address the functional significance of E6 polymorphisms, 10 HPV16 E6 variants isolated from cervical lesions of Swedish women were evaluated for their activities in different in vitro and in vivo assays relevant to the carcinogenic potential of E6. Small differences between E6 prototype and variants, and among variants, were observed in transient expression assays that assessed p53 degradation, Bax degradation, and inhibition of p53 transactivation. More variable levels of activities were exhibited by the E6 proteins in assays that evaluated binding to the E6-binding protein (E6BP) or the human discs large protein (hDlg). The E6 prototype expressed moderate to high activity in the above assays. The L83V polymorphism, previously associated with risk for cancer progression in some populations, expressed similar levels of activity as that of the E6 prototype in most functional assays. On the other hand, L83V displayed more efficient degradation of Bax and binding to E6BP, but lower binding to hDlg. Results of this study indicate that naturally occurring amino acid variations in HPV16 E6 can alter activities of the protein important for its carcinogenic potential.     

Genetic diversity of human papillomavirus type 16 E6, E7, and L1 genes in Italian women with different grades of cervical lesions

High‐risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are risk factors for the development of cervical cancer. HPV 16 is the most common type, being present in about 60% of cervical cancers worldwide. Previous studies have reported upon the association between HPV 16 E6 variants and increased risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cervical cancer. In this study, the presence of HPV 16 polymorphisms in the E6, E7, and L1 genes was investigated in relation to the presence of high‐grade lesions. Sequencing of the E6 gene revealed the presence of nucleotide mutations resulting in 15 amino acid changes. Of these, the G134D and C136R fall within the CXXC zinger finger domain important for p53 binding. In the E7 gene, four nucleotide variations were identified with two leading to the amino acid substitutions L15V and S31R. The L1 gene showed 13 nucleotide changes leading to 11 amino acid substitutions. Among these, the R364C and N367D are located at the base of the HI‐loop of the L1 protein, considered to be the immunodominant epitope of HPV 16. No significant relationship between HPV 16 variants and high‐grade lesions was found. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all the HPV 16 variants identified belonged to the European lineage, except one which was of the Asian‐American lineage. The European‐350G variant was detected most frequently (22 of 34, 64.7%). The study provides some new data on the genetic diversity of HPV 16 which may help to understand the oncogenic potential of the virus and to improve management of patients. J. Med. Virol. 81:1627–1634, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

HPV16/18和HPV16E6/E7DNA在宫颈癌组织中的表达

目的检测HPV16/18和HPV16E6/E7 DNA在宫颈癌组织中的表达,探讨其在宫颈癌发病中的作用.方法应用PCR和琼脂糖凝胶电泳方法检测46例宫颈癌组织中HPV16/18和HPV16E6/E7DNA.结果 46例宫颈癌中56.5%(26/46)扩增HPV16/18 DNA,其中宫颈鳞癌25例,宫颈腺癌1例.正常对照组20例HPV16/18DNA均为阴性,与宫颈癌组相比差异有显著性(P<0.01).HPV16/18 DNA阳性拷贝对数值为4.32±2.45.HPV16E6,E7DNA分别有53.8%(14/26)、46.2%(12/26)扩增.结论 HPV16/18和HPV16E6/E7 DNA与宫颈癌的发生密切相关,是宫颈癌恶性转化的关键之一,预示着宫颈癌有较强的增殖能力和转移能力.     

HPV16 E6E7抗原表达模型的建立

目的 用基因重组技术构建pcDNA-E6E7真核表达载体.方法 经限制性内切酶和序列分析,用脂质体转染技术将其转入B16细胞,G418稳定筛选后IFA法检测其表达,RT-PCK法检测HPV16E6E7mRNA的生成,并将转染细胞接种小鼠皮下,观察成瘤情况.结果 酶切鉴定证实重组质粒中插入的目的基因片段及载体大小、方向和插入住点均正确,在转染的B16细胞中可见绿色荧光并检测到HPV16E6E7mRNA的生成,接种的转染细胞在小鼠皮下100%成瘤.结论 提示B16细胞转染E6E7后其致瘤性与转染空载体组和野生型B16细胞组无明显差异.     

Activities of human papillomavirus 16 E6 natural variants in human keratinocytes

Genetic variations in the E6 oncogene have been associated with different risk for cancer progression. In the present study, the functional significance of human papillomavirus (HPV) polymorphism in the E6 oncogene was investigated. Ten HPV16 E6 variants containing amino acid substitutions in the N-terminal region of E6 were evaluated for different biological and biochemical activities in human keratinocytes, the target cells for HPV infection. Western blot analyses of primary foreskin human keratinocytes or immortalized human keratinocytes, stably transduced with the E6 variants, revealed reduced p53 and Bax levels in all E6 expressing cultures. The reduction induced by most E6 proteins was at similar levels and comparable to the reduction induced by the E6 prototype. The ability of the proteins to induce serum/calcium-differentiation resistant colonies in primary keratinocytes was more variable. Overall activities of the variants ranged between 0.24- and 2.18-fold of the E6 prototype activity. The I27R/L83V variant showed the lowest activity whereas the R8Q variant showed the highest activity. The L83V polymorphism previously associated with risk for cancer progression in some populations, showed significant activity, comparable to that of the E6 prototype, in reducing p53 and Bax levels. Furthermore, this variant showed enhancement in the ability to induce colonies resistant to serum/calcium-triggered differentiation, however, the difference from the prototype was not statistically significant. This, and augmentation of other described functions might result in differences in L83V pathogenicity.     

Distinctive distribution of HPV16 E6 D25E and E7 N29S intratypic Asian variants in Korean commercial sex workers

The distribution of HPV16 sequence variations differs geographically and specific HPV16 E6 and E7 variants might carry a high risk for development of invasive cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in a given population. To investigate the genetic variation of HPV 16 E6 and E7 genes, genomic DNAs from 56 HPV16-infected commercial sex workers were extracted from their cervical swabs by using DNA isolation kit. The E6 and E7 coding region (34-880) with HPV16 E6/E7 specific PCR were amplified and analyzed by using the DNAstar software. At the nucleotide level, 26 variants of the HPV16 E6 and E7 genes were identified including 12 silent mutations. At the amino acid level, the isolates showed 14 variants including E6 Q14H, E6 D25E, E6 I27R, E6 H78Y, E6 L83V, and E7 N29S. The dominant HPV16 E6 and E7 variants were HPV16 E6 D25E (68%) and HPV16 E7 N29S (73%), respectively, which belong to Asian lineage. Although this study has some limitations such as a small sample size and not enough clinical data, these finding suggests that the distinctive distribution of HPV 16 As-variant E6 D25E and E7 N29S might be associated with geographical dependence rather than disease progression. Further study is needed to determine the clinical and biological effects of these variants.     

Codon 72 polymorphism of p53 and HPV type 16 E6 variants as risk factors for patients with squamous epithelial lesion of the uterine cervix

The Arg/Arg genotype versus Arg/Pro or Pro/Pro at codon 72 of the p53 gene in association with human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 E6 variants has been implicated as a risk marker in cervical neoplasia. However, research on this topic has produced controversial results. The association of p53 codon 72 polymorphism alone and in combination with specific HPV 16 E6 variants with risk of developing squamous intraepithelial cervical lesion has been investigated in low and high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and in HPV‐negative controls from an Italian population. The data obtained showed statistically significant different distribution of p53 genotypes between healthy controls and precursor lesions, with the p53 arginine homozygous increased in high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. The T350G HPV 16 variant was the most frequent variant observed in the analyzed group of Italian women, showing a slight decreasing with the severity of the lesion. At the same time, the number of the prototype T350 slightly increased with the severity of the cytological lesions. In conclusion, p53 arginine homozygous was found to be increased in high‐grade lesions, supporting the results of previous investigations indicating that HPV‐positive patients with p53 Arg/Arg have an increased risk of developing pre‐cancerous lesions. In addition, T350G HPV 16 variant was over‐represented in p53 Arg homozygous women with cervical lesions. When p53 genotype and HPV 16 variants are considered together, no difference emerges between cases and controls so is not possible to assess that the oncogenic effect of HPV 16 T350G variant may be influenced by the p53 genotype. J. Med. Virol. 85:83–90, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

pcDNA3/HPV16 E6真核表达质粒的构建及裸DNA注射动物实验观察

目的探讨ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ６基因ＤＮＡ诱发体液和细胞免疫反应的能力。方法利用基因工程技术构建了ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ６真核表达质粒ｐｃＤＮＡ３／Ｅ６，脂质体法转染Ｃｏｓ７细胞，肌肉注射免疫ＢＡＬＢ／ｃ小鼠，免疫组化技术检测抗体产生及抗原表达。结果被转染的Ｃｏｓ７细胞表达ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ６蛋白免疫小鼠产生抗ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ６抗体。结论这一结果为ＨＰＶ１６相关宫颈癌治疗性ＤＮＡ疫苗的研制提供了资料。     

A novel real-time genotyping assay for detection of the E6-350G HPV 16 variant

It has been suggested that some E6 human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 variants could be involved in viral persistence and progression of HPV infection. A novel one-step allelic discrimination real-time PCR was evaluated for E6-350G variant detection in 102 endocervical HPV 16 positive samples. This assay was also used to assess the distribution of this variant in Spanish women with cervical cancer related to HPV 16.The detection limit for the allelic discrimination assay was 50 copies per reaction, even where the E6-350G variant represents only 20% of the variants in the sample. Complete concordance was observed between DNA sequencing and the novel AD RT-PCR assay. Fourteen E6-350T reference strains and 18 E6-350G variants were detected out of 32 endocervical samples from women with cervical cancer. The average age of women who were infected by the E6-350G HPV 16 variant was 10 years lower in these samples than in women who were infected by the reference strain.This novel allelic discrimination assay is a fast, sensitive and specific method for detection of the E6-350G HPV 16 variant.     

HPV types and variants among cervical cancer tumors in three regions of Tunisia

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Tunisian women, and the incidence rates vary by region. Three Tunisian registries report age-standardized rates of 6.3/10(5) in the central region, 5.4/10(5) in the north, and 2.7/10(5) in the south. High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types and their variants differ in carcinogenic potential and geographic distribution. The HPV type and variant distribution could be a factor in the differing rates between regions of Tunisia. Tumor tissue was collected from 142 Tunisian cervical cancer patients. Demographic and reproductive characteristics of the patients were abstracted from cancer registry and hospital records. HPV type and variant analyses were performed using PCR-based Luminex and dot-blot hybridization assays. Eighty-three percent of tumors were infected with at least one HPV type. European variants of HPV16/18 were the most prevalent in tumors from all three regions, with all HPV18 infections and 64% of HPV16 infections being of European lineage. A higher frequency of HPV16 was present in Northern Tunisia (80%) than in Central (68%) or Southern Tunisia (50%) (P=0.02). HPV18/45 was significantly more common in adenocarcinomas (50%) than in squamous cell carcinomas (11%) (P=0.004). Frequent infection with European HPV variants most likely reflects the history of European migration to Tunisia. In addition to the importance of understanding the variants of HPV in Tunisia, behavioral and cultural attitudes towards screening and age-specific infection rates should be investigated to aid the development of future vaccination and HPV screening programs and policies.     

HPV16 E6 augments Wnt signaling in an E6AP-dependent manner

In this study we investigated the effect of HPV16 E6 on the Wnt/β-catenin oncogenic signaling pathway. Luciferase reporter assays indicated that ectopically expressed E6 significantly augmented the Wnt/β-catenin/TCF-dependent signaling response in a dose-dependent manner. This activity was independent of the ability of E6 to target p53 for degradation or bind to the PDZ-containing E6 targets. Epistasis experiments suggested that the stimulatory effect is independent of GSK3β or APC. Coexpression, half-life determination, cell fractionation and immunofluorescence analyses indicated that E6 did not alter the expression levels, stability or cellular distribution of β-catenin. Further experiments using E6 mutants defective for E6AP binding and E6AP knockdown cells indicated the absolute requirement of the ubiquitin ligase E6AP for enhancement of the Wnt signal by E6. Thus, this study suggests a role for the E6/E6AP complex in augmentation of the Wnt signaling pathway which may contribute to HPV induced carcinogenesis.     

重组人乳头瘤病毒16型E6蛋白的表达、纯化和动物免疫效果分析

目的 诱导表达人乳头瘤病毒16型(HPV16)E6蛋白,制备可溶性蛋白,并通过动物免疫进行免疫效果评估.方法 采用IPTG诱导pQE30-HPV16E6/BL21(DE3)重组菌株,表达产物经SDS-PAGE和Western blot分析鉴定.提取包涵体进行变性处理,变性蛋白经Ni2+金属螯合层析纯化,将纯化产物用复性透析方法处理以获取可溶性蛋白.免疫Bal B/c小鼠,检测血清抗体、CD4+/CD8+和IFN-γ.结果 诱导后重组菌有相对分子量18 000蛋白质表达,以不溶性包涵体为主要表达方式.目的蛋白可与HPV16E6多克隆抗体识别,纯化和透析处理后得到可溶性的蛋白.小鼠免疫后血清抗体滴度升高,淋巴细胞CD4+/CD8+升高,IFN-γ未见升高.结论 成功表达了HPV16E6蛋白,同时处理包涵体并制备了可溶性目的蛋白.目的蛋白可刺激小鼠体内产生有效的免疫反应,该蛋白的成功制备为患者血清抗体的检测和肿瘤细胞杀伤的免疫研究奠定了坚实基础.     

Genetic variability and functional implication of HPV16 from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in Shanghai women

Human papillomavirus (HPV)16 gene mutation is usually associated with persistent HPV infection and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). However, the functional implications of HPV16 mutations remain poorly understood.145 LCR/E6/E7 of the HPV16 isolates were amplified and sequenced, and HPV16 integration status was detected. In total, 89 SNPs (68 in the LCR, 13 in E6, 8 in E7) were discovered, 11 of which were nonsynonymous mutations (8 in E6, 3 in E7). The H85Y and E120D variants in E6 were significantly reduced in the high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) group compared to the <HSIL group (P = .046 and .005), conversely the N29S in E7(P = .01). Amino acid substitutions (D32N/E, E36Q, H85Y, and E120D in E6 and N29H/S and R77C in E7) were predicted to have an effect on conserved structural and functional residues, and five amino acid substitutions (H85Y, E36Q, I34L, and D32E in E6; R77C in E7) would potentially change the secondary structure. “6329G>T,” a potential binding site for TATA-binding protein, is the most common in LCR variants. A4 (Asian) was associated with an increased risk of HSIL compared to A1–3(P = .009). The H85/E120 in E6 and N29 in HPV16 E7 might play a critical role in carcinogenesis by disrupting p53 and Rb degradation due to affecting their interaction, respectively. In a word, the findings in this study provide preventative and therapeutic interventions of HPV16 -related cervical lesions/cancer.     

中国地方株人乳头瘤病毒16型E7基因一级结构及其变异

从湖北地区一宫颈癌活检组织中提取ＤＮＡ，采取加端聚合链反应（Ａｄｄ－ｏｎ ＰＣＲ）技术，获得了人乳头瘤病毒１６型E７基因（ＨＰＶＩ６Ｅ７）。将该基因克隆于载体ｐＵＣ１８后，进行了该基因一级结构顺序分析。完整的ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ７湖北株基因（ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ７－ＨＢ）全长２９４ｂｐ，与已发表的德国株（ＧＳ）大小一致，但其核苷酸顺序中有２处发生了变异，均为Ｃ→Ｔ变异。第４３位ＣＡＡ→ＴＡＡ使相应的谷氨酰胺密码子变为终止密码，形成无义突变（Ｎｏｎｓｅｎｓｅｍｕｔａｔｉｏｎ）。将重组质粒中０．３ｋｂ的ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ７基因在表达载体ＰＷＲ５９０－１中进行克隆，经诱导使重组表达质粒在大肠杆菌中高效表达，得到了预计的、分子量约为６９×１０~３的融合蛋白。该蛋白的表达量占菌体总蛋白量的３０％左右。该试验表明ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ７一级结构以及所编码的蛋白多肽在不同的国家和／或不同的地区可能存在着差异。本文首次报道了中国地方株ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ７基因的一级结构。     

子宫颈癌、子宫颈上皮内病变组织中SIRT1、HPV 16/18E6的表达及其意义

目的检测子宫颈癌及癌前病变中SIRT1的表达情况,探讨其与临床病理特征的关系。同时检测早期癌蛋白中HPV16/18E6的表达,分析两者的相关性。方法应用免疫组化En Vision法检测30例子宫颈炎、100例子宫颈上皮内病变(高级别、低级别各50例)、30例子宫颈鳞状细胞癌组织中SIRT1和HPV 16/18E6的表达。结果子宫颈癌组织中SIRT1阳性率为93.33%(28/30),高于子宫颈炎组织(13.33%,4/30),差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。子宫颈高级别上皮内病变SIRT1阳性率(88%,44/50)高于低级别上皮内病变(14%,7/50),差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。但高级别上皮内病变与子宫颈癌SIRT1阳性率差异无统计学意义(P0.05);低级别上皮内病变与子宫颈炎中SIRT1阳性率差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。在子宫颈癌中,SIRT1的阳性率与临床分期和组织学分级有关,晚期、分化差的子宫颈癌阳性率高于早期、分化好的子宫颈癌,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。在子宫颈癌中SIRT1的阳性率(93.33%,28/30)高于HPV 16/18E6(30%,9/30),在子宫颈高级别上皮内病变中SIRT1的阳性率(88%,44/50)高于HPV 16/18E6(28%,14/50),但在低级别上皮内病变中SIRT1的阳性率(14%,7/50)低于HPV 16/18E6(36%,18/50),两者差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论 SIRT1的阳性率随着病变程度增加而升高,提示SIRT1与细胞恶性转变有关,其过表达可能促进上皮向高级别内病变乃至子宫颈癌进展。