Specific chromosomal imbalances in human papillomavirus-transfected cells during progression toward immortality

Specific chromosomal imbalances in human papillomavirus-transfected cells during progression toward immortality

^*Organisation komplexer Genome, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany; and ^†Angewandte Tumorvirologie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 242, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Abstract

High risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) known to be closely associated with cervical cancer, such as HPV16 and HPV18, have the potential to immortalize human epithelial cells in culture. Four lines of HPV-transfected keratinocytes were analyzed by comparative genomic hybridization at different time points after transfection. A number of chromosomal imbalances was found to be highly characteristic for the cultures progressing toward immortality. Whereas several of these were new and previously not found as recurrent aberrations in cervical tumors, some were identical to chromosomal changes observed during cervical carcinogenesis. The data put new emphasis on the studied cell system as a relevant model for HPV-induced pathogenesis.

Footnotes

↵ ‡ M.D. and P.L. contributed equally to this study.
↵ § To whom reprint requests should be addressed. e-mail: p.lichter{at}dkfz-heidelberg.de.
Janet D. Rowley, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL
ABBREVIATIONS:

HPV,

human papillomavirus;

CGH,

comparative genomic hybridization;

HPK,

human papillomavirus-immortalized keratinocytes