Host Immune Responses Associated with Clearance or Persistence of Human Papillomavirus Infections

Human Papillomavirus E1 Protein Regulates Gene Expression in Cells Involved in Immune Response

Human papillomavirus belongs to papovaviridae family papillomavirus A, a spherical deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) virus, which can cause the proliferation of squamous epithelial cells of human skin or mucous membranes. With the rapid increase in the incidence of condyloma acuminatum among STDs and the increase in diseases caused by HPV infection, HPV infection has seriously endangered human health. In this paper, the in vitro detection of HPV E1 protein was realized using AgNCs-dsDNA. And through the test of this detection method, we calculated that the detection limit of this method is 0.886 nM. Compared with other methods for detecting E1 protein in vitro, this method has high sensitivity and simple operation. In addition, the detection method also has good anti-interference and selectivity, and can realize the detection of E1 in serum samples. The transfection efficiency of BLV-miR-B4-3p mimics at different time points was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR); the transcriptome sequencing of lymphocytes transfected with different concentrations of BLV-miR-B4-3p mimics was performed, and differential gene clustering was performed on the sequencing results. And the BLV-miR-B4-3p target gene prediction and transcriptome analysis results were verified by qPCR. The effects of BLV-miR-B4-3p on the transcriptional levels of immune-related cytokines in human lymphocytes were analyzed. Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that after BLV-miR-B4-3p entered lymphocytes, a total of 556 differentially expressed genes were obtained. GO enrichment and KEGG analysis results showed that BLV-miR-B4-3p could independently activate influenza. The signaling pathway ultimately affects the body's immune system process, stress response, defense response, immune response, and other biological processes. After BLV-miR-B4-3p enters lymphocytes, it will lead to abnormal lymphocyte immune function, including the mRNA expression of TNF-α in Th1 cytokines which was significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the expression of IL-10 in Th2 cytokines was significantly increased (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the mRNA expression of IL-27 was significantly increased (P < 0.001), which did not affect the mRNA expression of lymphocyte proliferation and activation-related regulators. The tumor suppressor breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) and antimicrobial peptide CAMP were significantly increased, and decreased (P < 0.001), and the expression of pro-apoptotic factor Caspase9 showed a significant downward trend (P < 0.05).

Deciphering the complex interplay between microbiota, HPV, inflammation and cancer through cervicovaginal metabolic profiling

BACKGROUND

Dysbiotic vaginal microbiota have been implicated as contributors to persistent HPV-mediated cervical carcinogenesis and genital inflammation with mechanisms unknown. Given that cancer is a metabolic disease, metabolic profiling of the cervicovaginal microenvironment has the potential to reveal the functional interplay between the host and microbes in HPV persistence and progression to cancer.

METHODS

Our study design included HPV-negative/positive controls, women with low-grade and high-grade cervical dysplasia, or cervical cancer (n = 78). Metabolic fingerprints were profiled using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Vaginal microbiota and genital inflammation were analysed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and immunoassays, respectively. We used an integrative bioinformatic pipeline to reveal host and microbe contributions to the metabolome and to comprehensively assess the link between HPV, microbiota, inflammation and cervical disease.

FINDINGS

Metabolic analysis yielded 475 metabolites with known identities. Unique metabolic fingerprints discriminated patient groups from healthy controls. Three-hydroxybutyrate, eicosenoate, and oleate/vaccenate discriminated (with excellent capacity) between cancer patients versus the healthy participants. Sphingolipids, plasmalogens, and linoleate positively correlated with genital inflammation. Non-Lactobacillus dominant communities, particularly in high-grade dysplasia, perturbed amino acid and nucleotide metabolisms. Adenosine and cytosine correlated positively with Lactobacillus abundance and negatively with genital inflammation. Glycochenodeoxycholate and carnitine metabolisms connected non-Lactobacillus dominance to genital inflammation.

INTERPRETATION

Cervicovaginal metabolic profiles were driven by cancer followed by genital inflammation, HPV infection, and vaginal microbiota. This study provides evidence for metabolite-driven complex host-microbe interactions as hallmarks of cervical cancer with future translational potential. FUND: Flinn Foundation (#1974), Banner Foundation Obstetrics/Gynecology, and NIH NCI (P30-CA023074).

Recurring infection with ecologically distinct HPV types can explain high prevalence and diversity

The high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection, arises from the coexistence of over 200 genetically distinct types. Accurately predicting the impact of vaccines that target multiple types requires understanding the factors that determine HPV diversity. The diversity of many pathogens is driven by type-specific or "homologous" immunity, which promotes the spread of variants to which hosts have little immunity. To test for homologous immunity and to identify mechanisms determining HPV transmission, we fitted nonlinear mechanistic models to longitudinal data on genital infections in unvaccinated men. Our results provide no evidence for homologous immunity, instead showing that infection with one HPV type strongly increases the risk of infection with that type for years afterward. For HPV16, the type responsible for most HPV-related cancers, an initial infection increases the 1-year probability of reinfection by 20-fold, and the probability of reinfection remains 14-fold higher 2 years later. This increased risk occurs in both sexually active and celibate men, suggesting that it arises from autoinoculation, episodic reactivation of latent virus, or both. Overall, our results suggest that high HPV prevalence and diversity can be explained by a combination of a lack of homologous immunity, frequent reinfections, weak competition between types, and variation in type fitness between host subpopulations. Because of the high risk of reinfection, vaccinating boys who have not yet been exposed may be crucial to reduce prevalence, but our results suggest that there may also be large benefits to vaccinating previously infected individuals.