NESTED PCR APPROACH FOR DETECTION AND TYPING OF EPIDERMODYSPLASIA VERRUCIFORMIS-ASSOCIATED HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS TYPES IN CUTANEOUS CANCERS FROM RENAL-TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

The epidermodysplasia verruciformis (FV)-associated human papillomavir uses (HPVs) constitute a group of HPV genotypes isolated mostly from t he cutaneous lesions of patients with the genetic disorder of EV. Broa d-spectrum detection of EV HPVs in cutaneous lesions of non-EV patient s was previously difficult because no EV HPV consensus PCR was availab le. We describe a nested PCR that enables the detection of all known E V HPV types at relatively low-copy-number levels. The deduced sequence s of a 92-amino-acid stretch of the LI open reading frames of all type s are shown for convenient typing. The technique proved very valuable in viral studies of skin cancers from renal transplant recipients. A h igh prevalence (81%) of EV HPV types was found in skin cancer biopsies . A wide spectrum of EV HPV types that differed from HPV-5 and -8 was found to be involved. The technique also proved useful in detecting po tentially novel EV HPV types in skin cancers. The relationship of thes e new types to known HPV types is demonstrated by phylogenetic tree an alysis.