The human papillomavirus type 16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins dissociate cellular telomerase activity from the maintenance of telomere length.
The "high risk" subgroup of human papillomaviruses (e.g. HPV-16 and HPV-18) infect and induce tumors of mucosal epithelium. These neoplasms, which can progress to malignancy, retain and express the papillomavirus E6 and E7 oncogenes. In vitro, the E6 and E7 proteins associate with the cellular p53 and Rb proteins and interfere with their normal growth-regulatory functions. We report here that primary human keratinocytes transduced with the HPV-16 E6 gene, but not the E7 gene, express significant telomerase activity. However, despite this detectable enzymatic activity, E6-transduced cells continue to shorten their telomeres during in vitro passaging similar to control cells and to cells expressing the E7 and E6+E7 genes. At late passages, however, E7-transduced cells partially restore telomere length, although they lack detectable telomerase activity, demonstrating that E6-independent, telomerase-independent events mediate this change.
Stöppler
H
H
Molecular Pathology Program, Department of Pathology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
Hartmann
D P
DP
Sherman
L
L
Schlegel
R
R
D002460:Cell Line; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000821:virology*; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C052603:E6 protein, Human papillomavirus type 18; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; C059731:oncogene protein E7, Human papillomavirus type 16; D019098:Telomerase