High prevalence of Gammapapillomaviruses (Gamma-PVs) in pre-malignant cutaneous lesions of immunocompetent individuals using a new broad-spectrum primer system, and identification of HPV210, a novel Gamma-PV type

Assessing Gammapapillomavirus infections of mucosal epithelia with two broad-spectrum PCR protocols

“…In contrast to Beta-PVs where the number of studies supporting their oncogenic potential in the development of skin cancer has increased over time [16], the role of Gamma-PVs in the development of malignant mucosal/cutaneous lesions has been poorly described [17][18][19]. Interestingly, our recent study, together with previous data, suggests a potential active role of Gamma-PVs in the development of premalignant skin lesions in immunocompetent individuals [20,21]. On the other hand, patients with a rare inherited immunodeficiency have been found to be uniquely susceptible to Gamma-PV-associated skin warts [22].…”

“…The presence of HPV infection was determined using two well-established HPV generic primer systems, Gamma-PV PCR [21] and CUT PCR [30]. All PCR reactions were performed as described previously [21], using the following reaction controls: a negative control (5 ng of human placental DNA) to check for the reaction's specificity, a reagent control (H 2 O instead of the sample) to check for carry-over contamination, and 100 copies of cloned HPV4 or HPV10 in a background of 5 ng human placental DNA as a positive control per PCR run. All pre-and post-PCR procedures were carried out in separate cabinets and rooms.…”

Comprehensive analysis of β‐ and γ‐human papillomaviruses in actinic keratosis and apparently healthy skin of elderly patients

“…Whereas mucosal high‐risk HPVs are involved throughout the entire carcinogenic process, β‐HPVs appear only to play a role at an early stage of skin carcinogenesis. Indeed, β‐HPV DNA is not present in all cancer cells and prevalence/viral load is higher in AK than cSCC . Only approximately 20% of AK are positive for β‐HPV mRNA, suggesting that the virus may be dispensable once the premalignant lesions are established.…”

“…Although other studies have investigated the presence of cutaneous HPVs in AK, they analysed a restricted spectrum of genotypes, a limited number of AK lesions, used less sensitive HPV detection methods and/or did not include an HS control . The decrease in β‐HPV positivity and load from HS to AK (found in this study) and from AK to cSCC suggests a hit‐and‐run model for the involvement of these viruses in UV‐promoted skin carcinogenesis.…”

“…Indeed, b-HPV DNA is not present in all cancer cells and prevalence/viral load is higher in AK than cSCC. [2][3][4] Only approximately 20% of AK are positive for b-HPV mRNA, 5 suggesting that the virus may be dispensable once the premalignant lesions are established. However, the data available mostly concern epidermodysplasia verruciformis-associated b-HPVs.…”