Human Papillomavirus Type 52: a New Virus Associated with Cervical

Analysis of biopsies of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) revealed a high percentage with human papillomavirus (HPV) sequences that would hybridize to a mixture of HPV probes only under conditions of relaxed stringency. The DNA sequences of one of these viruses was molecularly cloned and shown to be a new HPV, type 52 (HPV-52). This virus is most closely related to HPV-33. Hybridization analysis with restriction fragments of HPV-52 showed collinearity with the HPV-33 genome. DNA sequencing revealed a high level of conservation between the two viruses within the L1 open reading frame but significant divergence in the non-coding region of the viral genomes. Prevalence studies indicated that HPV-52 sequences were present in three of 137 (2 ~) CIN and in one of 48 (2 ~) cervical squamous cell cancers tudied in the U.S.A. The human papillomaviruses (HPVs) represent a heterogeneous family of variably related viruses. HPV infection of the genital tract is now recognized as a sexually transmitted disease implicated in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer and its precursor lesions (zur Hausen, 1986). The HPV types most frequently associated with genital tract infections are HPV type 6 (HPV