Host transcriptome changes associated with episome loss and selection of keratinocytes containing integrated HPV16

Integration of high-risk human papillomavirus (HRHPV) into the host genome is a key event in cervical neoplastic progression. Integration is associated with deregulated expression of the viral oncogenes E6 and E7 and acquisition of a selective growth advantage for cells containing integrants. Overexpression of the viral transcriptional regulator E2 from heterologous promoters has an inhibitory effect on transcription from integrated HRHPV. We therefore hypothesised that loss of E2-expressing episomes from cells in which integration had previously occurred would be required for such cells to gain a growth advantage. Using the unique W12 model of cervical squamous carcinogenesis, we show that cells containing integrated HPV16 reproducibly emerged during long-term culture when there had been a rapid fall in episome numbers. During the period of emergence it is possible to isolate single-cell clones containing an intracellular mixture of the integrant being selected and episomes at reduced load. Microarray analysis showed that episome loss was closely associated with endogenous activation of antiviral response genes that are also inducible by the type I interferon (IFN) pathway. Taken together, our results indicate that episome loss, associated with induction of antiviral response genes, is a key event in the spontaneous selection of cervical keratinocytes containing integrated HPV16. We conclude that cervical carcinogenesis requires not only HRHPV integration, but also loss of inhibitory episomes.

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Pett MR, Herdman MT, Palmer RD, Yeo GS, Shivji MK, Stanley MA, Coleman N