Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are strongly associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and invasive cancer mainly through the action of the E6 and E7 viral proteins, transcription of which is down-regulated by the E2 protein.
The human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) status of 43 cervical biopsies, which had been characterized histologically as normal, various grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and invasive squamous cell carcinoma, was examined by using (i) a novel antibody against the HPV-16 E2 protein, (ii) sensitive HPV-16 DNA in situ hybridization and (iii) microdissection/PCR for the E2 ORF.
We found that serum IgA levels against the E2 protein were elevated in CIN patients relative to normal control subjects but were not elevated in cervical cancer patients.