We have investigated the role of the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) early untranslated region (3 UTR) in HPV-16 gene expression. We found that deletion of the early 3 UTR reduced the utilization of the early polyadenylation signal and, as a consequence, resulted in read-through into the late region and production of late L1 and L2 mRNAs. Deletion of the U-rich 3 half of the early 3 UTR had a similar effect, demonstrating that the 57-nucleotide U-rich region acted as an enhancing upstream element on the early polyadenylation signal. In accordance with this, the newly identified hFip1 protein, which has been shown to enhance polyadenylation through U-rich upstream elements, interacted specifically with the HPV-16 upstream element. This upstream element also interacted specifically with CstF-64, hnRNP C1/C2, and polypyrimidine tract binding protein, suggesting that these factors were either enhancing or regulating polyadenylation at the HPV-16 early polyadenylation signal. Mutational inactivation of the early polyadenylation signal also resulted in increased late mRNA production. However, the effect was reduced by the activation of upstream cryptic polyadenylation signals, demonstrating the presence of additional strong RNA elements downstream of the early polyadenylation signal that direct cleavage and polyadenylation to this region of the HPV-16 genome. In addition, we identified a 3 splice site at genomic position 742 in the early region with the potential to produce E1 and E4 mRNAs on which the E1 and E4 open reading frames are preceded only by the suboptimal E6 AUG. These mRNAs would therefore be more efficiently translated into E1 and E4 than previously described HPV-16 E1 and E4 mRNAs on which E1 and E4 are preceded by both E6 and E7 AUGs.Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a group of nonenveloped, double-stranded DNA tumor viruses with tropism for epithelial cells (21). HPV-16 is one of the most common sexually transmitted HPV types and is also the HPV type most frequently detected in cervical cancer (42,63). The life cycle of HPV-16 is strictly linked to the differentiation program of the infected cell (17,21). While many of the early HPV gene products are present in all layers of the squamous epithelium, expression of the late mRNAs encoding the L1 and L2 capsid proteins is restricted to the terminally differentiated cells in the upper layers of the epithelium (29). The early and late regions are separated by the early polyadenylation signal named pAE (Fig. 1), and RNA elements that regulate the use of the pAE signal are likely to affect late gene expression. Here we have studied the role of the early untranslated region (3Ј UTR) in late gene expression by investigating how deletions in the early 3Ј UTR affect late mRNA levels.The 3Ј UTR is often the site for RNA elements that regulate various steps in the mRNA processing pathway, for example, mRNA transport, half-life, and translation (13). The best-studied 3Ј-UTR element is the group of AU-rich RNA instability elements, often containing multiple co...

During a spectroscopic study to identify biochemical changes in cervical tissue with the onset of carcinogenesis, residual paraffin wax contributions were observed on almost all dewaxed formalin-fixed paraffin-processed (FFPP) tissue sections examined. Subsequently, the present study was formulated to evaluate the efficacy of current dewaxing agents using Raman spectroscopy. Three cervical FFPP sections were subjected to each of the protocols. Sections were dewaxed using four common dewaxing protocols, namely, xylene, Histoclear, heat-mediated antigen retrieval (HMAR) using xylene and citrate buffer, and Trilogy (combined deparaffinization and unmasking of antigens). The potential for hexane as a dewaxing agent was also evaluated. Sections were dewaxed in multiple dewaxing cycles using xylene, Histoclear, and hexane. Residual paraffin wax contributions remained at 1062 cm(-1), 1296 cm(-1), and 1441 cm(-1). HMAR using xylene and citrate buffer, and HMAR using Trilogy, showed a similar efficacy, resulting in incomplete removal of wax. Hexane was shown to be the most effective dewaxing agent, resulting in almost complete removal of wax. Immunohistochemistry was carried out on dewaxed slides, and those dewaxed with hexane displayed a stronger positivity (approximately 28%). Implications for histopathology and immunohistochemistry are considered, as well as problems that residual wax poses for spectroscopic evaluation of dewaxed FFPP sections with a view to disease diagnosis.

No abstract

Production of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) virus particles is totally dependent on the differentiation-dependent induction of viral L1 and L2 late gene expression. The early polyadenylation signal in HPV-16 plays a major role in the switch from the early to the late, productive stage of the viral life cycle. Here, we show that the L2 coding region of HPV-16 contains RNA elements that are necessary for polyadenylation at the early polyadenylation signal. Consecutive mutations in six GGG motifs located 174 nucleotides downstream of the polyadenylation signal resulted in a gradual decrease in polyadenylation at the early polyadenylation signal. This caused read-through into the late region, followed by production of the late mRNAs encoding L1 and L2. Binding of hnRNP H to the various triple-G mutants correlated with functional activity of the HPV-16 early polyadenylation signal. In addition, the polyadenylation factor CStF-64 was also found to interact specifically with the region in L2 located 174 nucleotides downstream of the early polyadenylation signal. Staining of cervix epithelium with anti-hnRNP H-specific antiserum revealed high expression levels of hnRNP H in the lower layers of cervical epithelium and a loss of hnRNP H production in the superficial layers, supporting a model in which a differentiation-dependent down regulation of hnRNP H causes a decrease in HPV-16 early polyadenylation and an induction of late gene expression.The human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are small DNA tumor viruses (20). To date, more than 100 different types have been identified (12). Some of these HPV types, termed high-risk types, are associated with development of cancer of the uterine cervix, one of the most common cancers in women worldwide (35,50). HPV type 16 (HPV-16) is the most common high-risk type (51). The HPV genome can be divided into an early region and a late region, followed by the proximal early (pAE) and the distal late (pAL) polyadenylation signals, respectively (Fig. 1A) (4). A polyadenylation signal consists of an AA UAAA sequence located 10 to 30 nucleotides (nt) upstream of the cleavage site and a degenerate GU-rich sequence element about 30 nucleotides downstream of the cleavage site (45). Some polyadenylation signals are followed by G-rich downstream elements (2, 3). The weak binding of cleavage/polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) to the AAUAAA motif is enhanced by CStF binding to the downstream GU-rich element (45). Recently, it was shown that U-rich upstream polyadenylation elements interact with hFip-1, an integral part of CPSF (21). In the early stage of the viral life cycle, all viral transcripts are polyadenylated at the pAE, whereas both the pAE and the pAL are used in the late, productive stage of the infection (26). In response to differentiation of the HPV-infected cell, the use of the pAE is down regulated, resulting in read-through into the late region and polyadenylation of the late transcripts at the pAL. Efficient polyadenylation at the pAE is an absolute requirement for early...

Abstract:Raman microspectroscopy is a powerful tool for the analysis of tissue sections providing a molecular map of the investigated samples. Nevertheless, data pre processing, and particularly the removal of broad background to the spectra remains problematic. Indeed, the physical origin of the background has not been satisfactorily determined. Using 785nm as source in a confocal geometry, it is demonstrated, that for the example of the protein kappa-elastin, the background and resulting quality of the recorded spectrum is dependent on the morphology of the sample. Whereas a fine powder yields a dominant broad background, compressed pellets and solution cast thin films produce respectively improved quality spectra with significantly reduced spectral background. As the chemical composition of the samples is identical, the background is ascribed to stray light due to diffuse scattering rather than an intrinsic photoluminescence. Recorded spectra from tissue sample exhibit a large and spatially variable background, resulting in poorly defined spectral features. A significant reduction of the background signal and improvement of the spectral quality is achieved by immersion in water, and measurement with an immersion objective. The significant improvement in signal to background is attributed to a reduction of the diffuse scattering due to a change in the effective morphology as a result of an improved index matching between the water/ tissue interface compared to the air/tissue interface. Compared to sections measured in air, the background is reduced to that of the water, and preprocessing is reduced to the subtraction of the substrate and water signal, and correction for the instrument response, all of which are highly reproducible. Data preprocessing is thus greatly simplified and the results significantly more reliable.

The expression profile of a panel of RNA-binding proteins (heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A1, hnRNP C1/C2, hnRNP H, hnRNP I, ASF/SF2, SR proteins, HuR and U2AF(65)) and markers of differentiation, proliferation and neoplasia (cytokeratin (CK) 13, CK-14, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Syndecan-1 and p16INK4a) were analyzed in 50 formalin fixed paraffin embedded cervical tissues using immunohistochemistry. The samples included histologically normal cervical epithelium, human papillomavirus (HPV) induced low-grade and high-grade pre-malignant lesions and cervical cancers. All samples were tested for HPV DNA using nested PCR. Forty-nine of the 50 tissue samples tested positive for HPV, 27 tissue samples (54%) were HPV-16 positive and 4 samples (8%) were HPV-18 positive. The immunohistochemistry results detected different expression levels of the various proteins in basal epithelial cells in histologically normal epithelium followed by an increase in expression in the intermediate layers, whereas the superficial layers remained negative for all tested RNA-binding proteins. Expression of all RNA-binding proteins increased in neoplastic lesions and highest expression was detected in cervical cancers. p16INK4a had a stronger association with high-grade lesions when compared with the RNA-binding proteins. The expression profile of the RNA-binding proteins is similar to PCNA expression in histologically normal epithelium as well as in lesions (low-grade and high-grade) and cervical cancers. As PCNA expression has been suggested to mimic HPV E6/E7 expression in cervical epithelium, the results suggest the RNA-binding protein analyzed here regulate HPV early gene expression directly and late gene expression indirectly.

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) infections can in rare cases persist and cause lesions that may progress to cervical cancer. Cells in the lesions are not permissive for virus production, nor are cervical cancer cells. The intracellular environment is such that it prevents production of the highly immunogenic, viral structural proteins L1 and L2. One may speculate that inhibition of L1 and L2 expression is a prerequisite for persistence and cancer progression. We have therefore investigated how expression of HPV-16 L1 is regulated. We found that the only splice site in the HPV-16 late region, which is used to produce L1 mRNAs, is under control of a splicing enhancer located in the 17 nucleotides immediately downstream of the splice site. However, the function of this enhancer in cervical cancer cells is largely overshadowed by multiple splicing silencers in the late region which bind to hnRNP A1. High levels of hnRNP A1 therefore inhibit HPV-16 L1 expression. Immunohistological analysis of cervical epithelia revealed that hnRNP A1 is expressed primarily in the lower layers of the epithelium. hnRNP A1 is undetectable in terminally differentiated cells that can express HPV-16 late genes, which supports the conclusion that high levels of hnRNP A1 inhibit HPV-16 L1 expression.

No abstract