p53 polymorphism, human papillomavirus infection in the oral cavity, and oral cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has emerged as a risk factor in oral carcinogenesis. An arginine-coding polymorphism of the tumor suppressor protein p53 at codon 72 is more readily degraded by the HPV oncoprotein E6. Our objective was to evaluate the association between p53 polymorphism at codon 72 and HPV infection in the oral cavity, as well as its association with oral cancer.


METHODS
Oral squamous cells from 202 patients with oral cancer and 333 age-sex frequency matched controls were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction for the presence and type of HPV and for alleles of codon 72 in p53. Fisher exact test and chi(2) tests were used to evaluate the data.


RESULTS
The p53 codon 72 polymorphism is not associated with HPV infection, whether comparing HPV-negative controls with HPV-positive controls or comparing HPV-negative cases with HPV-positive cases. Additionally, we found no association with the codon 72 polymorphism and oral cancer, whether comparing HPV-negative controls with HPV-negative cases or comparing HPV-positive controls with HPV-positive cases.


CONCLUSIONS
There is no association between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and HPV infection or between the p53 polymorphism and the risk of oral cancer.
Summersgill
K F
KF
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City 52242, USA.
Smith
E M
EM
Kirchner
H L
HL
Haugen
T H
TH
Turek
L P
LP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001120:Arginine / Q000235:genetics; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015344:DNA Probes, HPV; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005814:Genes, Viral; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics
D015344:DNA Probes, HPV; D004279:DNA, Viral; D001120:Arginine