title: Sequence variation analysis of the E2 gene of human papilloma virus type 16 in cervical lesions from women in Greece.
abstract: The E2 gene of human papilloma virus is expressed at the early stage of the viral life cycle, encoding the E2 transcription factor, and regulates the expression of E6 and E7 oncogenes. Disruption of E2 gene due to viral integration inhibits the transcriptional suppression of the HPV oncogenes, inducing cell proliferation. In the present study, a total of 22 HPV16-positive cytological specimens derived from high- and low-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions were investigated in order to identify sequence variations in the HPV16 E2 ORF. The E2 gene was amplified by PCR using external and internal overlapping sets of primers. Amplicons were cloned and sequenced. Disruption sites were detected in cervical samples diagnosed as high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions. Moreover, sequence variations were identified in the E2 ORF and specific variations were associated with non-European variants such as African type I, African type II and Asian American. A total of three new sequence variations were identified at positions 2791, 2823 (transactivation domain) and 3361 (hinge region). Distinct phylogenetic branches were formed according to E2 analysis that characterized the different HPV16 variants. It was ascertained that non-European variants are circulating in the Greek population.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology-Virology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Ploutonos 26 and Aiolou, 41221 Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsakogiannis
authors.forename: I  G A
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ruether
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kyriakopoulou
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pliaka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Theoharopoulou
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Skordas
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Panotopoulou
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nepka
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Markoulatos
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006115:Greece; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C054855:E2 protein, Human papillomavirus type 16; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral