title: Polymorphism of the L1 capsid gene and persistence of human papillomavirus type 52 infection in women at high risk or infected by HIV.
abstract: HIV-seropositive women are at increased risk for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which causes high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs). HPV-52 is a frequent HPV type in Canadian HIV-seropositive women. Because variations of the capsid gene, designated the L1 gene, could elicit immune responses that result in different efficiencies in eliminating HPV, we described HPV-52 polymorphism and assessed whether it was associated with HPV-52 persistence in 114 women at risk or infected by HIV. Nonsynonymous variations were more frequent in the 5 putative hypervariable regions (exposed loops of L1 protein) (10 [3.2%] variations over 311 nucleotides) than in nonvariable regions (4 [0.3%] variations over 1278 nucleotides; P < 0.0001). Synonymous variations were distributed evenly between hypervariable regions (10 [3.2%] variations over 311 nucleotides) and nonvariable regions (46 [3.6%] variations over 1278 nucleotides; P = 0.88). Nonprototype (nonreference) L1 variants were detected more frequently in women of African descent (24 [60.0%] of 40 women) than in white women (23 [37.1%] of 62 women, odds ratio = 2.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.11 to 5.81; P = 0.03). In contrast to previous findings that polymorphism in the long control region (LCR) was associated with HPV-52 persistence, L1 capsid variations were not associated with persistence (P = 0.45). L1 variations are unlikely to predispose to HPV-52 persistence and thus do not help to identify women at greater risk for HSILs.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Virologie Moléculaire, Centre de Recherche and Département de Microbiologie-Infectiologie, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gagnon
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hankins
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Money
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pourreaux
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Coutlée
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012306:Risk; D014621:Vagina / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D004279:DNA, Viral