High-throughput profiling of the humoral immune responses against thirteen human papillomavirus types by proteome microarrays

We have developed microarrays with all eight proteins encoded by 13 different human papillomavirus types associated with anogenital cancer (HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, -35, -45, and -53), genital warts (HPV-6 and -11), or skin lesions (HPV-1, -2, -4, and -5). We analyzed the seroprevalence of antibodies in 546 patients, which had either cervical carcinomas, or precursor lesions, or which were asymptomatic. All patient groups contained sera ranging from high reactivity against multiple HPV proteins to low or no reactivity. Computational analyses showed the E7 proteins of carcinogenic HPV types as significantly more reactive in cancer patients compared to asymptomatic individuals and discriminating between cancer and HSIL or LSIL patients. Antibodies against E4 and E5 had the highest seroprevalence but did not exhibit differential reactivity relative to pathology. Our study introduces a new approach to future evaluation of the overall antigenicity of HPV proteins and cross-reaction between homologous proteins.