Molecular cloning and characterization of a unique type of human papillomavirus from an immune deficient patient

Several papillomas from a single patient who exhibited an unusual immune deficiency syndrome were analyzed for the presence of specific human papillomavirus (HPV) types. Preliminary analysis indicated that the HPV DNA species present in each of these tissues was quite unlike any of the previously characterized HPV types. In order to more rigorously analyze the HPV from this patient we have isolated the HPV DNA by molecularly cloning it into a bacteriophage lambda vector and have constructed a detailed restriction endonuclease map. Comparative hybridization studies using S1 nuclease analyses showed 6% or less nucleotide sequence homology of this viral DNA with HPV types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or an HPV-11, molecularly cloned in this laboratory. Moreover, Southern blot analyses under stringent hybridization conditions revealed little, if any, hybridization to HPV types 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, HPV-EV isolated from a patient with epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV), or 2 previously described HPVs (HPV-P and HPV-PW) related to HPV-3. There was, however, a very weak sequence homology detected with HPV-6 and an extremely weak homology to HPV-3. No filter hybridization was observed with the recently characterized HPVs 9 or -12 to -24. These data accumulatively indicate that the HPV species from this immunosuppressed patient represents a new, hitherto unidentified HPV type.