HPV-Positive Cervical Cancer Cells Show Generally Reduced Levels of IFN-Alpha

Indianapolis, IN

Cervical cancer is typically induced by the presence of Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common viral sexually transmitted infection in the United States. The presence of HPV has been shown to reduce the body's antiviral response by decreasing the levels of IRF-3, a transcription factor that controls the Interferon (IFN) antiviral proteins, within infected human cells. As an extension of these studies, we compared IFN-alpha levels in HPV-positive and HPV-negative cervical cancer cell lines. ELISA analysis was used to determine IFN-alpha protein levels in supernatants from cultured cell lines. Consistent trends suggest that HPV-positive cervical cancer cells show a reduction in IFN-alpha secreted when compared to HPV-negative cervical cancer cells, although significance was not found between the two cell lines. A reduction in IFN-alpha by HPV suggests HPV's ability to evade a cell's response to viral infections. Understanding this mechanism may provide further insight into the development of cervical cancer.