Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) infect keratinocytes of stratified epithelia. Long-term persistence of infection is a critical risk factor for the development of HPV-induced malignancies. Through the actions of its oncogenes, HPV evades host immune responses to facilitate its productive life cycle. In this work, we discovered a previously unknown function of the HPV16 E5 oncoprotein in the suppression of interferon (IFN) responses. This suppression is focused on keratinocyte-specific IFN-κ and is mediated through E5-induced changes in growth factor signaling pathways, as identified through phosphoproteomics analysis. The loss of E5 in keratinocytes maintaining the complete HPV16 genome results in the derepression of IFNK transcription and subsequent JAK/STAT-dependent upregulation of several IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) at both the mRNA and protein levels. We also established a link between the loss of E5 and the subsequent loss of genome maintenance and stability, resulting in increased genome integration. IMPORTANCE Persistent human papillomavirus infections can cause a variety of significant cancers. The ability of HPV to persist depends on evasion of the host immune system. In this study, we show that the HPV16 E5 protein can suppress an important aspect of the host immune response. In addition, we find that the E5 protein is important for helping the virus avoid integration into the host genome, which is a frequent step along the pathway to cancer development.

Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the major causal factor in cervical and other anogenital cancers. Because there are currently no therapeutics capable of preventing neoplastic progression of HPV infections, understanding the mechanisms of HPV-mediated persistence, including immune evasion, is a major research priority. The multifunctional growth factor transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) has been shown to inhibit expression of early viral transcripts from cells harboring integrated HPV genomes or cells infected with retroviruses expressing HPV oncoproteins. However, the mechanism of TGFβ-induced inhibition has not been fully defined. In this study, we have observed a previously uncharacterized ability of TGFβ to repress the differentiation-induced upregulation of late HPV16 gene expression. In addition, interferon kappa (IFN-κ), a keratinocyte-specific, constitutively expressed cytokine suppressed by differentiation, can be transcriptionally induced by TGFβ1. TGFβ-mediated IFN-κ transcription only occurs in cells containing HPV16, and this is due to TGFβ1-mediated reversal of HPV-induced methylation of the IFN-κ promoter through active DNA demethylation mediated by thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG). This novel interaction between growth factor and innate immune signaling may shed light on the mechanisms of HPV persistence and how the virus manipulates both immune and growth factor signaling to promote its life cycle. Persistent infection by high-risk HPVs is the primary risk factor for development of HPV-induced cancers. Persistence involves viral evasion of the immune response, including the IFN response. HPV is also known to suppress TGFβ signaling, which inhibits viral gene expression. Here, we show that the TGFβ and IFN pathways are interrelated in the context of HPV16 infection through the upregulation of IFN-κ by TGFβ. The ability of TGFβ to induce IFN-κ promoter demethylation and transcriptional activation provides a new explanation for why HPV has evolved mechanisms to inhibit TGFβ in infected cells.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are small, double-stranded DNA viruses that replicate in stratified squamous epithelia and cause a variety of malignancies. Current efforts in HPV biology are focused on understanding the virus-host interactions that enable HPV to persist for years or decades in the tissue. The importance of interactions between tumor cells and the stromal microenvironment has become increasingly apparent in recent years, but how stromal interactions impact the normal, benign life cycle of HPVs or progression of lesions to cancer is less understood. Furthermore, how productively replicating HPV impacts cells in the stromal environment is also unclear. Here we bring together some of the relevant literature on keratinocyte-stromal interactions and their impacts on HPV biology. We discuss how HPV oncogenes in infected cells manipulate other cells in their environment, and, conversely, how neighboring cells may impact the efficiency or course of HPV infection.

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Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause benign lesions that can lead to malignancy. How cellular changes induced by viral oncogenes contribute to the progeny virion production is not always clear. Stromally-derived growth factors and their receptors are critical for development of malignancy, but their impact on the pre-malignant HPV life cycle is unknown. We show that HPV16 increases levels of Met, a growth factor receptor critical for tumor cell invasion, motility, and cancer metastasis. The viral oncogene E5 is primarily responsible for Met upregulation, with E6 playing a minor role. Met induction by E5 requires the epidermal growth factor receptor, which is also increased by E5 at the mRNA level. E5-induced Met contributes motility of HPV-containing cells. Finally, Met signaling is necessary for viral gene expression, particularly in the differentiation-dependent phase of the viral life cycle. These studies show a new role for E5 in epithelial-stromal interactions, with implications for cancer development.