Human papillomavirus type 16 E2-specific T-helper lymphocyte responses in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

T-cell-mediated immune responses against mucosal oncogenic types of human p apillomaviruses (HPV) are thought to play a role in the control of the viru s infection and its associated cervical lesions. The in vitro production of interleukin-2 by T-helper (Th) cells in response to the C-terminal and N-t erminal domains of the HPV-16 E2 protein was determined in 74 women with cy tological evidence of premalignant cervical epithelial neoplasia who partic ipated in a non-intervention follow-up (FU) study, Cross-sectional analysis at the end of FU showed that Th cell responses against the C-terminal doma in were associated with evidence of previous or present HPV-16 infection as compared to patients with no evidence of any HPV infection (18.9% versus 0 %, P = 0.039). Th cell responses against the N-terminal domain were not ass ociated with evidence of HPV-16 infection. No association with disease outc ome was observed with Th cell responses against either of the E2 protein do mains. However, longitudinal analysis revealed that Th cell responses again st the C-terminal domain frequently occur at the time of virus clearance. W hether these responses are responsible for the clearance of the virus is no t known.