E6 proteins of α and β cutaneous HPV types differ in their ability to potentiate Wnt signaling

Sophia Sominsky, Naama Shterzer, Anna Jackman, Beny Shapiro, Abraham Yaniv, Levana Sherman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

We recently showed that E6 protein of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16, a mucosal high-risk α-PV type, can potentiate Wnt/β-catenin/TCF signaling. Here we investigated the transcriptional activities of E6 proteins of cutaneous HPV types from the β and α genera. Results from reporter-gene assays showed that similar to HPV16 E6, E6 of HPV10, a cutaneous α-HPV type that is prevalent in skin warts, efficiently enhances and stimulates Wnt/β-catenin/TCF transcription. HPV10 E6 also effectively elevated the expression levels of β-catenin and promoted its nuclear accumulation. E6 proteins of β-HPV types 8, 24, 38 and 49, which are prevalent in skin cancer, exhibited lower activities in all tested functions. The differences in activity correlated with E6's competence to interact with the ubiquitin ligase E6AP. This study reveals a role for E6 proteins of diverse cutaneous HPV types in potentiation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, irrespective of their carcinogenic potential.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11-22
Number of pages12
JournalVirology
Volume509
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2017

Funding

FundersFunder number
Institute of Virology
Sackler Faculty of Medicine
Israel Science Foundation
Peter Maccallum Cancer Centre24E6, 10E6, 38E6
Tel Aviv University
Universität zu Köln1253-10

    Keywords

    • E6
    • E6AP
    • Wnt signaling
    • β-HPV
    • β-catenin

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