CHROMOSOMAL ORGANIZATION OF VIRAL INTEGRATION SITES IN HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS IMMORTALIZED HUMAN KERATINOCYTE CELL-LINES

The target specificity of viral integration is essential to determinin g the biologic significance of this integration to various pathologic conditions, including cancer. In this study the chromosomal features o f several human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 integration sites mapped by in situ hybridization in human keratinocyte lines were visualized direct ly by G-banding and differential labeling with bromodeoxyuridine of la ter replicating domains. G-negative chromosomal bands exhibiting late replication were selectively targeted by HPV-16, suggesting that the s tructural and functional relationship of the state of chromatin conden sation and replication is critical in accessibility to virus integrati on.