Beta genus papillomaviruses and skin cancer

Virology. 2015 May:479-480:290-6. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.02.004. Epub 2015 Feb 24.

Abstract

A role for the beta genus HPVs in keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) remains to be established. In this article we examine the potential role of the beta HPVs in cancer revealed by the epidemiology associating these viruses with KC and supported by oncogenic properties of the beta HPV proteins. Unlike the cancer associated alpha genus HPVs, in which transcriptionally active viral genomes are invariably found associated with the cancers, that is not the case for the beta genus HPVs and keratinocyte carcinomas. Thus a role for the beta HPVs in KC would necessarily be in the carcinogenesis initiation and not in the maintenance of the tumor.

Keywords: Cancer; Epidemiology; Keratinocyte; MAML1; Notch; Papillomavirus.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Betapapillomavirus / pathogenicity*
  • Betapapillomavirus / physiology*
  • Carcinogenesis
  • Humans
  • Keratinocytes / virology
  • Papillomavirus Infections / complications*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Papillomavirus Infections / virology*
  • Skin Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Skin Neoplasms / virology*