Gene Expression Profiles of HPV-Positive and -Negative Head/Neck and Cervical Cancers
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ABSTRACT: Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are associated with nearly all cervical cancers (CCs), 20-30% of head and neck cancers (HNCs), and other cancers. Because HNCs also arise in HPV-negative patients, this type of cancer provides unique opportunities to define similarities and differences of HPV-positive versus HPV-negative cancers arising in the same tissue. Here, we describe genome-wide expression profiling of 84 HNCs, CCs and site-matched normal epithelial samples in which we used laser capture microdissection to enrich samples for tumor-derived versus normal epithelial cells. This analysis revealed that HPV+HNCs and CCs differed in their patterns of gene expression yet shared many changes compared to HPV-HNCs. Some of these shared changes were predicted, but many others were not. Notably, HPV+HNCs and CCs were found to be upregulated in their expression of a distinct and larger subset of cell cycle genes than observed in HPV-HNC. Moreover, HPV+ cancers over-expressed testis-specific genes that are normally expressed only in meiotic cells. Many, though not all, of the hallmark differences between HPV+HNC and HPV-HNC were a direct consequence of HPV and in particular the viral E6 and E7 oncogenes. This included a novel association of HPV oncogenes with testes specific gene expression. These findings in primary human tumors provide novel biomarkers for early detection of HPV+ and HPV- cancers, and emphasize the potential value of targeting E6 and E7 function, alone or combined with radiation and/or traditional chemotherapy, in the treatment of HPV+ cancers. Keywords: Gene expression ptofiles of primary cancers
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE6791 | GEO | 2007/05/15
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA99227
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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