Immune landscape and oncobiota in HPV-Associated Colorectal Cancer: an explorative study

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Virology
• Immunology

Background:

• Malignant tumors associated with human papillomaviruses (HPV) affect over 550,000 patients globally.
• Only a fraction of HPV-infected individuals develop cancer, indicating other contributing factors.
• The role of HPV in colorectal cancer (CRC) development remains unclear, with conflicting research findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate HPV infection in colorectal cancer (CRC) samples.
• To analyze the impact of HPV on the tumor microenvironment and immune cell phenotypes.
• To compare the gut microbiota composition in HPV-positive versus HPV-negative CRC.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry (IHC), real-time PCR, and RNA-sequencing were used to detect HPV in 50 CRC patients.
• Tumor microenvironment analysis was performed on neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissues.
• 16S rRNA sequencing was employed to study CRC-associated microbiota.

Main Results:

• HPV infection was detected in 20% of right-sided CRC and 40% of left-sided CRC.
• HPV-positive CRCs showed no p53 and RB expression, suggesting HPV's role in tumorigenesis.
• HPV-related cancers displayed reduced immune surveillance but enhanced lymphocyte cytotoxic response.
• Distinct microbiota profiles were observed in HPV-positive versus HPV-negative CRC.

Conclusions:

• HPV plays a significant role in colorectal cancer development and tumorigenesis.
• HPV influences the tumor immune microenvironment in CRC.
• HPV infection is associated with specific alterations in the CRC-associated microbiota.