International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) Cape Town, Observatory 7925, South Africa.
Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, South Africa.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Feb 23;22(4):2201. doi: 10.3390/ijms22042201.
Infection by oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of cervical cancer and other anogenital cancers. The majority of cervical cancer cases occur in low- and middle- income countries (LMIC). Concurrent infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) further increases the risk of HPV infection and exacerbates disease onset and progression. Highly effective prophylactic vaccines do exist to combat HPV infection with the most common oncogenic types, but the accessibility to these in LMIC is severely limited due to cost, difficulties in accessing the target population, cultural issues, and maintenance of a cold chain. Alternative preventive measures against HPV infection that are more accessible and affordable are therefore also needed to control cervical cancer risk. There are several efforts in identifying such alternative prophylactics which target key molecules involved in early HPV infection events. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the initial steps in HPV infection, from host cell-surface engagement to cellular trafficking of the viral genome before arrival in the nucleus. The key molecules that can be potentially targeted are highlighted, and a discussion on their applicability as alternative preventive means against HPV infection, with a focus on LMIC, is presented.
致癌型人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染是宫颈癌和其他生殖器癌症的主要病因。大多数宫颈癌病例发生在低收入和中等收入国家（LMIC）。同时感染人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）会进一步增加 HPV 感染的风险，并加重疾病的发生和进展。确实存在针对 HPV 感染的最常见致癌类型的高效预防性疫苗，但由于成本、难以接触目标人群、文化问题和冷链维持等原因，这些疫苗在 LMIC 中的可及性受到严重限制。因此，还需要更易于获得和负担得起的针对 HPV 感染的替代预防措施来控制宫颈癌风险。目前正在努力确定针对 HPV 感染早期事件中关键分子的替代预防性药物。这篇综述总结了 HPV 感染的初始步骤的现有知识，从宿主细胞表面结合到病毒基因组进入细胞核之前的细胞内运输。强调了可以作为潜在靶向的关键分子，并讨论了它们作为针对 HPV 感染的替代预防手段的适用性，重点是 LMIC。
