Open AccessPolymorphism of the L1 Capsid Gene and Persistence of Human Papillomavirus Type 52 Infection in Women at High Risk or Infected by HIV
Author(s) -
Simon Gag,
Catherine Hankins,
Deborah Money,
Karina Pourreaux,
Eduardo L. Franco,
François Coutlée
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.162
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1944-7884
pISSN - 1525-4135
DOI - 10.1097/01.qai.0000247226.45375.01
Subject(s) - biology , capsid , virology , odds ratio , nonsynonymous substitution , hpv infection , hypervariable region , immunology , confidence interval , single nucleotide polymorphism , persistence (discontinuity) , gene , virus , genotype , genetics , cervical cancer , medicine , cancer , genome , geotechnical engineering , engineering
HIV-seropositive women are at increased risk for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which causes high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs). HPV-52 is a frequent HPV type in Canadian HIV-seropositive women. Because variations of the capsid gene, designated the L1 gene, could elicit immune responses that result in different efficiencies in eliminating HPV, we described HPV-52 polymorphism and assessed whether it was associated with HPV-52 persistence in 114 women at risk or infected by HIV. Nonsynonymous variations were more frequent in the 5 putative hypervariable regions (exposed loops of L1 protein) (10 [3.2%] variations over 311 nucleotides) than in nonvariable regions (4 [0.3%] variations over 1278 nucleotides; P < 0.0001). Synonymous variations were distributed evenly between hypervariable regions (10 [3.2%] variations over 311 nucleotides) and nonvariable regions (46 [3.6%] variations over 1278 nucleotides; P = 0.88). Nonprototype (nonreference) L1 variants were detected more frequently in women of African descent (24 [60.0%] of 40 women) than in white women (23 [37.1%] of 62 women, odds ratio = 2.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.11 to 5.81; P = 0.03). In contrast to previous findings that polymorphism in the long control region (LCR) was associated with HPV-52 persistence, L1 capsid variations were not associated with persistence (P = 0.45). L1 variations are unlikely to predispose to HPV-52 persistence and thus do not help to identify women at greater risk for HSILs.