title: Biochemical and functional interactions of human papillomavirus proteins with polycomb group proteins.
abstract: The role of enzymes involved in polycomb repression of gene transcription has been studied extensively in human cancer. Polycomb repressive complexes mediate oncogene-induced senescence, a principal innate cell-intrinsic tumor suppressor pathway that thwarts expansion of cells that have suffered oncogenic hits. Infections with human cancer viruses including human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and Epstein-Barr virus can trigger oncogene-induced senescence, and the viruses have evolved strategies to abrogate this response in order to establish an infection and reprogram their host cells to establish a long-term persistent infection. As a consequence of inhibiting polycomb repression and evading oncogene induced-senescence, HPV infected cells have an altered epigenetic program as evidenced by aberrant homeobox gene expression. Similar alterations are frequently observed in non-virus associated human cancers and may be harnessed for diagnosis and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, MCP 861, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mdrubin@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McLaughlin-Drubin
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Munger
mesh_terms: D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins