The Biology of the E7 protein of HPV-16
Dennis J. McCance
from: Papillomavirus Research: From Natural History To Vaccines and Beyond (Edited by: M. Saveria Campo). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2006)
Abstract
The E7 protein of oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPV), such as HPV-16, is essential for the replication of the virus in the stratified epithelium. Replication of the viral genome requires that the terminally differentiating keratinocytes are induced back into the cell cycle to provide the necessary environment for DNA propagation. An unwanted outcome of this cell cycle stimulation is the immortalization of the infected cells, which along with unknown mutations in the genome of the infected cells, may lead to a malignant phenotype. In this Chapter, I will describe properties of E7 that are consistent with the ability of the protein to inhibit keratinocyte differentiation, stimulate cell cycle progression and cause immortalization of keratinocytes read more ...
