CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNE-RESPONSES TO E7 PEPTIDES OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS(HPV) TYPE-16 ARE DEPENDENT ON THE HPV TYPE INFECTING THE CERVIX WHEREAS SEROLOGICAL REACTIVITY IS NOT TYPE-SPECIFIC

Forty-two women attending a colposcopy clinic for evaluation of abnorm al cervical cytology and 13 normal controls were studied for the prese nce of lymphocyte proliferation (LP) cell-mediated immune (CMI) respon ses and serological reactivity to E7 peptides of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16). HPV was typed by Southern blot hybridization of exfo liated cervicovaginal cell DNA. Positive LP responses (stimulation ind ex greater than or equal to 5.0) to one or more E7 peptides were obser ved in 28.6% (12 of 42) of patients and 23.1% (three of 13) of control s. Of patients infected with HPV-16, -31 or -33, 63.6% (seven of 11) s howed a positive LP response compared with 14.3% (two of 14) of women infected with other HPV types (P = 0.02), 17.6% (three of 17) negative for HPV (P = 0.02) and 23.1% (three of 13) of controls (HPV status un known) (P = 0.05). C-terminal peptide 109 (amino acids 72 to 97) elici ted positive LP responses in 45.4% (five of 11) of patients infected w ith HPV -16, -31 or -33 compared with 7.1% (one of 14) patients infect ed with other HPVs (P = 0.04), 5.9% (one of 17) of women negative for HPV (P = 0.02) and 7.7% (one of 13) of controls (P = 0.05). HPV-16 gro up-specific LP responses of borderline significance were also observed against E7 peptides 103, 105 and 108 (17-37, 37-54 and 62-80) (P = 0. 07). ELISA reactivity (IgG) to E7 peptide 109 (72-97) was present in 7 7% (one of 13) of controls, 35.3% (six of 17) of HPV-negative patients , 42.9% (six of 14) of patients infected with other HPVs, and only 9.1 % (one of 11) of patients infected with HPV-16, -31 or -33. CMI respon ses to C-terminal HPV-16 E7 peptide 109 (72-97) were thus significantl y related to ongoing cervical infection with HPV-16 and closely relate d types, whereas serological reactivity to E7 peptides was not HPV typ e-specific.