Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) is the primary etiologic agent of cervical carcinoma, whereas bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1) causes benign fibropapillomas. However, the capsid proteins, L1 and L2, of these divergent papillomaviruses exhibit functional conservation. A peptide comprising residues 1 to 88 of BPV1 L2 binds to a variety of cell lines, but not to the monocyte-derived cell line D32, and blocks BPV1 infection of mouse C127 cells. Residues 13 to 31 of HPV16 L2 and BPV1 L2 residues 1 to 88 compete for binding to the cell surface, and their binding, unlike that of HPV16 L1/L2 virus-like particles, is unaffected by heparinase or trypsin pretreatment of HeLa cells. A fusion of HPV16 L2 peptide 13-31 and GFP binds (K d , ϳ1 nM) to ϳ45,000 receptors per HeLa cell. Furthermore, mutation of L2 residues 18 and 19 or 21 and 22 significantly reduces both the ability of the HPV16 L2 13-31-GFP fusion protein to bind to SiHa cells and the infectivity of HPV16 pseudovirions. Antibody to BPV1 L2 peptides comprising residues 115 to 135 binds to intact BPV1 virions, but fails to neutralize at a 1:10 dilution. However, deletion of residues 91 to 129 from L2 abolishes the infectivity of BPV1, but not their binding to the cell surface. In summary, L2 residues 91 to 129 contain epitopes displayed on the virion surface and are required for infection, but not virion binding to the cell surface. Upon the binding of papillomavirus to the cell surface, residues 13 to 31 of L2 interact with a widely expressed, trypsin-and heparinase-resistant cell surface molecule and facilitate infection.The infectious process for most viruses, including papillomavirus, is poorly understood. However, in the last decade, a plethora of primary viral receptors have been identified (reviewed in reference 1). Viruses adhere to the target cells via these primary receptors, but their uptake and transport to the site of viral replication often require interaction with other secondary viral receptors (1).The papillomavirus capsid comprises two genetically unrelated viral proteins called L1 and L2 that surround the ϳ8-kb histone-bound, closed circular viral genomic DNA (14). Expression of the major capsid protein L1 results in Tϭ7 viruslike particles (VLPs) formed from 72 petameric L1 capsomers (21, 29). Three-dimensional image reconstructions and the ϳ30:1 ratio of L1 and L2 in native bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1) suggest that the L2 minor capsid protein is located in the center of the pentavalent capsomers at the virion vertices (46). Both L1 and L2 are necessary for efficient production of infectious viruses in vivo, with L2 functioning in both encapsidation and the infectious process (36, 37, 52).Papillomaviruses bind via L1 to cells derived from a wide variety of tissues and species (34, 40). While papillomavirus pseudovirions lacking L2 are infectious (45), recent reports suggest that L2 also can bind to the cell surface, resulting in its internalization (28), and that L2 is critical to the infectious process (36, 47). Furthermore, ant...