Cutaneous human papillomavirus 88: remarkable differences in viral load

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Virology
• Oncology

Background:

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are linked to various skin cancers.
• Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are a common type of skin cancer.
• The classification of HPV types is crucial for understanding their oncogenic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize a novel HPV type found in a patient with multiple SCCs.
• To investigate the prevalence and viral load of this new HPV type in various skin lesions and healthy skin.

Main Methods:

• Cloning and sequencing of HPV from patient SCC tissue.
• Quantitative PCR (qPCR) to determine HPV88 viral load.
• Survey of HPV88 DNA in a large cohort of skin lesions and healthy skin biopsies.

Main Results:

• A novel HPV type, designated HPV88 and belonging to the Gamma genus, was isolated from an SCC.
• The index patient's SCC exhibited exceptionally high HPV88 viral loads (>1 million copies/cell).
• HPV88 DNA was detected in only 7 out of 809 specimens (skin lesions and healthy skin), with extremely low viral loads (<1 copy/10^3 cells).

Conclusions:

• HPV88 is a novel human papillomavirus associated with squamous cell carcinoma.
• There is significant biological variability in HPV88 viral load, with extremely high levels in a specific SCC case.
• The low prevalence and viral load in other samples suggest HPV88 may have a limited role in common skin lesions or requires specific conditions for high-level replication.