UP-REGULATION OF P53 BY ANTISENSE EXPRESSION OF HPV18 E6 ONCOGENE DOES NOT INFLUENCE THE LEVEL OF MN CA IX TUMOR-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN IN HELACERVICAL-CARCINOMA CELLS/

Oncogenic potential of human papillomaviruses is related to capacity o f HPV-encoded oncoproteins to bind and inactivate tumor suppressor pro teins. Interaction of p53 with HPV E6 results in aberrant regulation o f various cellular genes. We evaluated the possible involvement of MN/ CA9 gene, whose expression is closely associated with cervical carcino mas, in regulatory pathways driven by p53 and E6. We demonstrated that one of the two p53 consensus sequences present in MN/CA9 promoter par ticipates in DNA-protein interaction but it does not bind p53. Tetracy cline-inducible antisense expression of HPV18 E6 in human cervical car cinoma HeLa cells resulted in increased level of p53 but did not affec t expression of MN/CA IX protein. Therefore we conclude that at least in HeLa cells there is;no direct relationship between expression of MN /CA IX and expression of E6 or p53.