Association of codon 72 polymorphism of p53 with the severity of cervical dysplasia, E6-T350G and HPV16 variant lineages in HPV16-infected women.

PURPOSE: Polymorphic variability in the tumour-suppressor protein p53 at codon 72 has a considerable impact on cervical cancer development. The present study clarified the association between p53 codon 72 genotypes and the risk of cervical disease in Greek patients. We also examined whether the presence of specific p53 genotypes in combination with HPV16 variants or E6 T350G sequence variation can modify an individual's susceptibility to cervical disease.

METHODOLOGY: The analysis of p53 genotypes was performed through PCR-RFLP. Sequence and phylogenetic tree analyses of the HPV16 E6 gene were also performed in order to identify HPV16 variants and T350G sequence variation.Results/Key findings. The outcomes of the present analysis revealed that women who are homozygous for the arg genotype are at a 4.17-fold higher risk of developing HPV16-associated HSIL+ (OR=4.17, 95 % CI:1.48-4.9, P=0.0049). Moreover, p53 arg/arg patients infected by an HPV16 prototype strain were associated with an increased risk of more severe lesions, while a significant relationship between the p53 arg/arg genotype in patients with T350G sequence variation and the risk of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) was revealed.

CONCLUSION: The oncogenic potential of the virus is increased by the presence of the p53 arg/arg genotype in the Greek population in such a way that the specific protein interaction E6 (L83V)-p53 (Arg-72) can modify an individual's susceptibility to cervical disease.