EVALUATION OF NONRADIOACTIVE TEMPERATURE-GRADIENT SSCP ANALYSIS AND OF TEMPERATURE-GRADIENT GEL-ELECTROPHORESIS FOR THE DETECTION OF HPV 6-VARIANTS IN CONDYLOMATA ACUMINATA AND BUSCHKE-LOEWENSTEIN TUMORS

A modified non-radioactive single strand conformation polymorphism ana lysis incorporating a temperature gradient (TG-SSCP) and temperature g radient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) were evaluated for the detection of human papillomavirus type 6 (HPV 6)-variants in 41 condylomata acumin ata and 5 Buschke-Loewenstein tumours. TG-SSCP and TGGE analysed part of the transforming ORF E6 of HPV 6 spanning nucleotides 10 to 495. TG -SSCP distinguished between 8 HPV 6-variants whereas TGGE demonstrated 6 different DNA-species. HPV 6-strains found in Buschke-Loewenstein t umours did not vary in the analysed portion of the E6 ORF as compared to ordinary condylomata acuminata. TG-SSCP and TGGE further showed abs ence of double infection with different HPV 6-strains in the analysed samples. Our results demonstrated that both methods may be successfull y used for the detection of different strains of microbiological agent s, although TG-SSCP seemed to provide easier execution and to confer a higher degree of flexibility than TGGE.