title: Different P105 promoter activities among natural variants of human papillomavirus type 18.
abstract: Association between non-European variants of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 (HPV-16) and HPV-18 and cervical lesions has been suggested. To compare the P105 promoter activity among 6 HPV-18 variants, their complete long control regions (LCRs), as well as that of HeLa cells, were cloned upstream of the luciferase gene and transiently transfected in C33 cells. Whereas the B18-2 European variant showed the lowest promoter activity, the Asian-Amerindian variant, B18-3, had the highest activity. All variants tested were more active than the P97 HPV-16 prototype promoter. Differences in the LCR that impact P105 promoter activity could be responsible for the observed variability in oncogenic potential.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, and Department of Virology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sichero
authors.forename: Eduardo Luis
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Luisa Lina
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Villa
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000502:physiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity