Molecular Biology of Human Papillomavirus Infection 2

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There are many different types of human papillomavirus (HPV). They all infect epithelial tissue such as the skin, but some cause common warts while others cause genital warts. Certain HPV types are classified as high-risk, because they cause cervical lesions (flat warts) that can in some women progress to cervical cancer. These high-risk HPV types are responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer worldwide. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer amongst women with about half a million cases occurring each year.||Our aim is to understand the molecular basis of disease, and to identify the events that deregulate the normal virus life cycle. This work follows a number of different paths. One aspect establishes the function of the viral proteins and aims to understand how they work together to produce disease. As part of this work we are using model systems of the skin to culture the virus in the laboratory. Another aspect of the work is looking at how the virus changes cellular gene expression, and what causes a wart like infection of the cervix to progress to neoplasia. This work has potential for improved cervical screening and better strategies for vaccination and therapy.