Characterization of two types of human papillomaviruses in lesions of epidermodysplasia verruciformis

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Abstract
Human papillomaviruses (HPV) found in lesions of 11 patients suffering from epidermodysplasia verruciformis were compared to HPV type 1 (HPV-1) and HPV type 2 (HPV-2) previously characterized in plantar and common warts, respectively. Complementary RNA (cRNA) to HPV-1, HPV-2 and viruses obtained from 2 patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis (J.D. HPV and J.K. HPV) were used in cRNA.cntdot.DNA filter hybridization experiments. No sequence homology was detected between HPV-1 or HPV-2 DNA and DNA obtained from the 11 epidermodysplasia verruciformis HPV isolates. With J.D. and J.K. HPV cRNA, epidermodysplasia verruciformis HPV DNA fell into 2 groups showing little, if any, sequence homology. A lower extent of annealing was observed for the DNA of some isolates showing a genetic heterogeneity within each of the 2 groups. Almost no antigenic crossreaction was detected by immunodiffusion and indirect immunofluorescence tests, between epidermodysplasia verruciformis HPV and HPV-1 or HPV-2 or between J.D. and J.K. HPV. Viruses belonging to the same group have common antigenic properties, but antigenic differences were observed when 2 of the viruses sharing only partial DNA sequence homology were compared. Viruses related to J.D. HPV were preferentially associated with flat wart-like lesions of epidermodysplasia verruciformis and were further found in the lesions of 5 patients bearing multiple flat warts. Viruses related to J.K. HPV were found in morphologically distinct lesions (red spots) present in some patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis. Thus, 2 other types of HPV designated provisionally as HPV type 3 (HPV-3) and HPV type 4 (HPV-4) are distinguished with J.D. and J.K. HPV as prototypes, respectively. Malignant conversion of some epidermodysplasia verruciformis lesions is more frequently associated with HPV-4 than with HPV-3 infection.