HPV proteins as targets for therapeutic intervention.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are the aetiological agents of several types of anogenital tumours, particularly cervical carcinoma. Recent evidence also suggests a role for HPV in the development of squamous cell carcinomas of the skin, especially in immunocompromised individuals. HPV infection also produces a number of non-malignant, but nonetheless cosmetically unpleasant lesions. Therefore, any effective therapeutic treatment for HPV-induced diseases would be extremely beneficial both on humanitarian grounds as well as being economically very attractive. In this review, we will discuss the functions of the viral proteins that appear to be the most appropriate for the development of therapeutics aimed at the treatment of viral infection and virus-induced cancers.