DELETION IN THE L1 OPEN READING FRAME OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS TYPE 6AGENOMES ASSOCIATED WITH RECURRENT LARYNGEAL PAPILLOMA

Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 6a genomes with a large deletion in th eir L1 open reading frames (ORF) were found in two of five recurrent c ases of laryngeal papilloma. One of these mutant HPVs had a 186 base p air (bp) deletion near the N-terminus end of the L1 ORF, which encodes a major capsid protein. The other had a 454 bp deletion at the C-term inus end of L1 at which is located a nuclear localising signal (NLS). No other large deletion or insertion was found in the remaining region s of all five HPV6a genomes. The laryngeal papillomas which harboured the mutant viruses showed typical hyperplasia and pathological changes as observed in tumours induced by the wild-type virus. The biological significance of the two large deletions in the late region of HPV6a a ssociated with laryngeal papilloma is discussed. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.