Environmental exposure and HPV infection may act synergistically to induce lung tumorigenesis in nonsmokers.

Abstract

Most studies of lung tumorigenesis have focused on smokers rather than nonsmokers. In this study, we used human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative lung cancer cells to test the hypothesis that HPV infection synergistically increases DNA damage induced by exposure to the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), and contributes to lung tumorigenesis in nonsmokers. DNA adduct levels induced by B[a]P in HPV-positive cells were significantly higher than in HPV-negative cells. The DNA adduct formation was dependent on HPV E6 oncoprotein expression. Gene and protein expression of two DNA repair genes, XRCC3 and XRCC5, were lower in B[a]P-treated E6-positive cells than in E6-negative lung cancer cells. The reduced expression was also detected immunohistochemically and was caused by increased promoter hypermethylation. Moreover, mutations of p53 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) genes in lung cancer patients were associated with XRCC5 inactivation. In sum, our study indicates that HPV E6-induced promoter hypermethylation of the XRCC3 and XRCC5 DNA repair genes and the resultant decrease in their expression increases B[a]P-induced DNA adducts and contributes to lung tumorigenesis in nonsmokers.

• Authors: Ya-Wen Cheng, Frank Cheau-Feng Lin, Chih-Yi Chen, Nan-Yung Hsu
• Journal: Oncotarget (Oncotarget) Vol. 7 Issue 15 Pg. 19850-62 (Apr 12 2016) ISSN: 1949-2553 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26918347 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• DNA Adducts
• DNA-Binding Proteins
• E6 protein, Human papillomavirus type 16
• Oncogene Proteins, Viral
• Repressor Proteins
• Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
• X-ray repair cross complementing protein 3
• Benzo(a)pyrene
• ErbB Receptors
• Ku Autoantigen

Topics

• Benzo(a)pyrene (poisoning)
• Cell Transformation, Neoplastic (drug effects, genetics, metabolism)
• DNA Adducts (drug effects, genetics)
• DNA-Binding Proteins (genetics, metabolism)
• Environmental Exposure (adverse effects)
• ErbB Receptors (genetics, metabolism)
• Gene Expression Regulation (drug effects)
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Ku Autoantigen (genetics, metabolism)
• Lung (drug effects, pathology, virology)
• Lung Neoplasms (etiology, genetics, virology)
• Mutation (drug effects)
• Oncogene Proteins, Viral (genetics, metabolism)
• Papillomavirus Infections (complications, genetics, metabolism)
• Repressor Proteins (genetics, metabolism)
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 (genetics, metabolism)