New variants of E6 and E7 oncogenes of human papillomavirus type 31 identified in Northeastern Brazil

ObjectiveWe sought to characterize E6 and E7 oncogenes genetic variability of HPV-31 isolated from cervical scraping samples of Northeastern Brazilian women.MethodsE6 and E7 were amplified with specific primers, cloned and sequenced. The sequences obtained were aligned with the GenBank reference sequences with the aim of evaluating the possible genetic variants.ResultsWe identified several genetic variants in E6 and E7 sequences from HPV-31 positive women. Three nucleotide changes in E6 were described for the first time in this study. Some nucleotide changes were non-synonymous substitutions.ConclusionThe knowledge of region/country HPV specific genetic variations is relevant to understand the epidemiology and the development of effective vaccines.

► We assessed the genetic variability of HPV31 E6/E7 genes from Brazilian women.
► We identified new variants of HPV31 with polymorphisms never described before.
► Some of these polymorphisms are associated with predicted T/B-cells epitopes.