Abstract C88: HPV infections, hTERT methylation and hTERT expression in patients with invasive cervical cancer

Background: There is limited information of the role of hTERT methylation, hTERT expression and their association with type specific HPV infections in patients with invasive cervical cancer

Objective: To analyze the possible association between methylation status of the hTERT promoter gene, hTERT expression and HPV infection in patients with invasive cervical cancer.

Methodology: Eighty seven frozen samples of women with invasive cervical cancer were analyzed for type specific HPV infection using a GP5+/GP6+ mediated PCR- RLB. hTERT DNA methylation analysis was performed on bisulfite modified DNA using a new PCR-RLB-hTERT methylation assay targeting two regions flanking the hTERT [region 1 (nt -240 to -1) and region 2 (nt +1 to +120) relative to first ATG]. Expression of hTERT was detected by immunohistochemistry using an Anti-hTERT (348-358) rabbit pAb).

Results: All samples with HPV types belonging to the α7 species (HPV 18, 45 and 59) showed no hTERT methylation in region 1 (core promoter) and an increase in% of partial methylation in region 2. Samples with HPV types belonging to the α9 specie (16, 52, 35, 31 and 58) showed similar% of methylation in region 1 and region 2 according viral type but the percentages of methylation were different between them (ranging from 0% for HPV58 samples to 66.7% for HPV31). Strong expression of hTERT was observed in 77% of the samples independent of the HPV genotype.

Conclusion: hTERT methylation seems to be associated with specific genotype HPV infection; however expression of the hTERT protein seems to depend of additional molecular events and worth further investigation.

Citation Format: Pablo Moreno-Acosta, Nicolas Morales, Marcela Burgos, Oscar Gamboa, Juan Carlos Mejia, Alfredo Romero-Rojas, Alba Lucia Combita, Monica Molano. HPV infections, hTERT methylation and hTERT expression in patients with invasive cervical cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr C88.