Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide, with a high prevalence and high transmissibility. High-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection is the primary cause of cervical cancer. The HPV variants present in the uterine cervix and oral cavity of HIV+ women have not been described. Objective Identify the prevalence of HPV infections in the uterine cervix and oral cavity and HPV16 variants in HIV+ women. Methods A total of 174 HIV+ women attended an HIV+ specialized clinic in Mexico City. Cells were obtained from the oral cavity and cervix to extract DNA. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the HPV sequence with generic primers. We detected specific HPV types using the INNO-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra II Kit (INNOGENETICS). The

A common causative agent for uterine cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV-18) which has three phylogenic variants: Asian-Amerindian, European, and African. Each variant shows significant molecular differences in the E6 gene. E6 oncoprotein is a negative regulator of tumor suppressor protein p53, hence, this oncoprotein indirectly regulates the expression of tumor-suppressor p14(ARF) . p14(ARF) and p16(INK4A) genes are overexpressed in--and have been proposed as markers for--HPV-related cervical cancer. In order to dissect the role of E6 on the regulation of p14(ARF) expression, separating it from that of other intervening factors, transfection of E6 variants to MCF-7 cells was performed, assessing cDNA transcript levels by RT-PCR, whereas p14(ARF) and p53 expression were evaluated by immunocytochemistry and Western blot. E6 transfected cells differentially expressed transcripts of two molecular forms: E6 and E6*. The ratio of these two forms varied with the transfected E6 variant. With the Asian-Amerindian variant, the ratio was E6 > E6*, whereas with the European and the African the ratio was E6* > E6. As expected with the E6* construct, E6* transcripts were solely observed. In addition, when E6 > E6* and p53 expression was low, p14(ARF) was high and when E6* > E6 and p53 expression was high, p14(ARF) was low. In conclusion, each E6 variant distinctively affects p53 levels and consequently p14(ARF) expression, finding that could be related with the differences in oncogenic effect of infection with the diverse high-risk HPV variants.

Background: Incidence of anal and oral infections with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is increasing, particularly among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-positive (HIV+) men. HPV type 16 has exhibited the highest incidence and only limited data is available on other prevalent types, variants of HPV16, as well as associated factors. We were interested in identifying prevalent HPV types, variants of type 16, as well as factors associated with HPV16 infections in the oral cavity of HIV+ men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods: A cross-sectional study of oral cavity samples from HIV+ MSM, that in a previous study were identified as positive for HPV16 in the anal canal. Cells from the oral cavity (102 samples, paired with 102 from the anal canal of same patient) were used to extract DNA and detect HPV infections using INNO-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra II, and PCR. From these, 80 samples (paired, 40 anal and 40 oral) were used to identify variants of type 16 by sequencing. Statistical differences were estimated by the X 2 test, and p values equal to or less than 0.05 were considered significant. SPSS ver. Twenty-four statistical software (IBM Corp) was used. Results: We found a high prevalence of High-Risk HPV (HR-HPV) and Low-Risk HPV (LR-HPV). Patients were positive in the oral cavity for HR types; 16, 39 and 18 (80.4, 61.8 and 52.9% respectively) and LR types 11 and 6 (53.9 and 34.3% respectively). Surprisingly, only European variants of type 16 were found in the oral cavity, although American Asian (22.5%) and African (2.5%) variants were identified in the anal canal. The analysis showed that CD4 counts could be the most important risk factor associated with HR-HPV infections in the oral cavity, anal canal or both anatomical regions. The risk of infection of the oral cavity with type 18 increased in men diagnosed with HIV for more than 6 years. Conclusions: Prevalence of both HR and LR HPV's in the oral cavity of Mexican HIV+ MSM is very high. The fact that only European variants of HPV16 were found in the oral cavity suggest a possible tropism not previously described.