Abstract
Persistent infection with high-risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) leads to the development of several tumors, including cervical, oropharyngeal, and anogenital squamous cell carcinoma. In the last years, the use of high-throughput sequencing technologies has revealed a number of non-coding RNA (ncRNAs), distinct from micro RNAs (miRNAs), that are deregulated in HPV-driven cancers, thus suggesting that HPV infection may affect their expression. However, since the knowledge of ncRNAs is still limited, a better understanding of ncRNAs biology, biogenesis, and function may be challenging for improving the diagnosis of HPV infection or progression, and for monitoring the response to therapy of patients affected by HPV-driven tumors. In addition, to establish a ncRNAs expression profile may be instrumental for developing more effective therapeutic strategies for the treatment of HPV-associated lesions and cancers. Therefore, this review will address novel classes of ncRNAs that have recently started to draw increasing attention in HPV-driven tumors, with a particular focus on ncRNAs that have been identified as a direct target of HPV oncoproteins.
Highlights
Worldwide, 4.5% of all cancers (630,000 new cancer cases per year) are attributable to HumanPapilloma Virus (HPV) infection [1]
The transforming activity of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is mainly based on the degradation of p53 and pRb induced, respectively, by the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7, numerous other mechanisms including the contribution of Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) generated both by the host cell and by the virus seem to participate in the process of carcinogenesis and tumor progression of HPV-induced tumors
LncRNAs were initially identified as mRNA-like transcripts that do not code for proteins since they are in many ways very similar to mRNAs, including their biogenesis
Summary
4.5% of all cancers (630,000 new cancer cases per year) are attributable to Human. Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection [1]. HPVs are a heterogeneous group of small non-envelope double-stranded circular DNA viruses targeting the basal cells of stratified epithelia [2,3]. Working Group has classified alpha-HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 as carcinogenic to humans; these high-risk (HR)-HPVs are responsible for virtually all carcinomas of the cervix and different proportions of carcinomas of the anus, vagina, penis, vulva, and oropharynx (Table 1) [4]. Among the HR-HPV types, HPV16 is responsible for the majority of HPV-driven cancers. Some HPV types of the beta genus showing cutaneous tropism have been proposed to cooperate with ultraviolet radiation in the development of non-melanoma skin cancer [5].
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