Molecular variants of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 in adenocarcinomas of the cervix.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV), particularly types 16 and 18, are considered hu man carcinogens since an etiological association has been demonstrated betw een these viruses and the development of cervical cancer. While the viral r ole in squamous carcinoma has been largely studied, the information availab le on adenocarcinoma is scarce, partly because of its lower frequency. In t his paper we investigated the presence of HPV types and intratype variants in adenocarcinomas of the cervix. A total of 23 archive samples, fixed and paraffin embedded biopsies, were included. The detection and viral typing w as performed by generic PCR and subsequent single stranded conformational p olymorphism analysis (SSCP). Genetic variability was investigated in a 450 bp-fragment corresponding to L1 gene by post-PCR direct sequencing. We dete cted 11 HPV 16 positive samples (9 prototypes and 2 variants: 1 European an d 1 Asiatic-American), 10 HPV 18 (9 prototypes and 1 European variant), 1 H PV 31 and 1 negative. The high risk HPV association with this neoplasia was confirmed with a high prevalence (43%) of HPV 18, (but) without predominan ce over the other types as previously published. The demonstrated variabili ty in L1 protein epitopes originated aminoacidic changes which could have i mplications on the immune response and therefore should be considered in a vaccine design.