DETECTION OF HPV AND RAS GENE-MUTATIONS IN CERVICAL SMEARS FROM FEMALE GENITAL LESIONS

The collaboration of ras oncogenes with HPV E6/E7 genes inducing full transformation of cervical keratinocytes has been suggested. The purpo se of this study was to detect and type HPV by PCR and to assess the e xtent of involvement of the ras oncogene activation by point mutations in cervical premalignant and malignant lesions, using stained PAP cer vical smears. Specimens were obtained from 35 women with genital lesio ns, and codon 12 point mutations of the K-ras and H-ras oncogenes were detected, as well as HPV18 at a higher rate than HPV16 (48% vs 10%) i n cervical lesions by PCR-RFLP and PCR analysis, respectively. Our stu dy indicates that the mutational activation of the K-ras gene may be i nvolved in the development of a small subset of cervical carcinomas an d that mutationally activated ras oncogenes cooperate with HPV in the early stages of carcinogenesis in the cervix of the uterus.