Detection of human papillomavirus E6/E7 mRNA in women with high-risk HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 45 which are associated with the development of human cervical cancer.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: The aim of our study was to increase the clinical meaningfulness of the virological data through mRNA E6/E7 oncoprotein identification, and to find a correlation between codon 72 polymorphism of the p53 gene and integration of HPV in host cell genomes.

METHODS: We analyzed 80 cervical samples from women with HPV DNA types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 45. Transcripts of HPV were detected by the NucliSense EasyQ HPV assay and genotyping of the TP53 polymorphism was conducted using a TaqMan assay.

RESULTS: Twenty percent of 80 tested samples were positive for mRNA Papillomavirus. The frequency of Arg/Pro heterozygotes in controls was over-represented compared with mRNA positive samples while there were no significant differences in the distribution of Pro/Pro and Arg/Arg alleles.

CONCLUSION: The introduction of HPV mRNA testing in clinical analysis improved diagnostic accuracy of HPV infections. Our data suggest that a structural difference at codon 72 of the p53 gene may not be a sufficient risk factor for cervical carcinogenesis.