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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Characterizing DNA Repair Processes at Transient and Long-lasting Double-strand DNA Breaks by Immunofluorescence Microscopy
Published on: June 8, 2018
Human Papillomavirus and the DNA Damage Response: Exploiting Host Repair Pathways for Viral Replication
Chelsey C Spriggs1, Laimonis A Laimins2
1Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, 303 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA. chelsey.spriggs@northwestern.edu.
Abstract:
High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the causative agents of cervical and other genital cancers. In addition, HPV infections are associated with the development of many oropharyngeal cancers. HPVs activate and repress a number of host cellular pathways to promote their viral life cycles, including those of the DNA damage response. High-risk HPVs activate the ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) and ATM and Rad3-related (ATR) DNA damage repair pathways, which are essential for viral replication (particularly differentiation-dependent genome amplification). These DNA repair pathways are critical in maintaining host genomic integrity and stability and are often dysregulated or mutated in human cancers. Understanding how these pathways contribute to HPV replication and transformation may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of existing HPV infections.
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