INFLUENCE OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS TYPE-16 GENE-EXPRESSION ON IN-VITRODIFFERENTIATION OF THE HUMAN TERATOCARCINOMA CELL-LINE 2102EP

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are known to infect human keratinocytes and cause alterations in epithelial differentiation. We showed in this study that expression of the HPV-16 genome was able to interfere with the in vitro differentiation of a human simple-epithelial cell type, the 2102Ep teratocarcinoma cell line. Stable HPV-16 genome-expressing 2102Ep cell lines were generated, and subsequent alterations in differ entiation were analyzed in comparison with parental 2102Ep cells. We f ound that in 2102Ep cells phorbol ester-induced differentiation]ed to changes in the expression of SSEA antigens, whereas in HPV-transfected cell lines only minor changes were observed. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc .