Genome-wide analysis of HPV integration in human cancers reveals recurrent, focal genomic instability
Menée à partir de 12 échantillons tumoraux prélevés sur des patients atteints d'un cancer lié au papillomavirus humain (HPV), cette étude de séquençage du génome entier met en évidences des mécanismes par lesquels l'intégration du génome du HPV favorise l'instabilité du génome de l'hôte
Genomic instability is a hallmark of human cancers, including the 5% caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Here we report a striking association between HPV integration and adjacent host genomic structural variation in human cancer cell lines and primary tumors. Whole genome sequencing revealed HPV integrants flanking and bridging extensive host genomic amplifications and rearrangements, including deletions, inversions and chromosomal translocations. We present a model of 'looping' by which HPV integrant-mediated DNA replication and recombination may result in viral-host DNA concatemers, frequently disrupting genes involved in oncogenesis and amplifying HPV oncogenes E6 and E7. Our high-resolution results shed new light on a catastrophic process, distinct from chromothripsis and other mutational processes, by which HPV directly promotes genomic instability.