Human papillomavirus type 16 E6 gene variations in Chinese population

ObjectiveTo identify genetic variants in the E6 gene of HPV 16 and to examine the association between these variants and cervical cancer development.MethodsCervical samples were collected from 72 patients with cervical cancer and 72 age-matched control subjects, all from Hubei Province, China. HPV 16 sequence was detected with E6 gene-specific polymerase chain reaction, and variants were identified by DNA sequencing.ResultsHPV 16 was detected in 81% of the patients and 43% of control subjects, respectively. The rank orders of incidence of HPV 16 prototype and E6 variants were as follows: D25E (62%), the prototype (17%), E113D (9%), L83V (6%) in case subjects; the prototype (71%), D25E (23%), L83V/E113D (7%) in control subjects. The odds ratio of HPV 16 E6 variant was higher than that of prototype (RR = 11.73, 95% CI = 4.18–32.94, P = 0.0001).ConclusionThe D25 E variant is the most prevalent E6 genomic variant in Hubei, China. The presence of HPV 16 E6 variant in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) lesions may serve as a useful predictor of clinical outcome of the disease.