ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the differences and similarities of the cervical lesions and mechanism between Asian variant E6 T178G and European variant E6 T350G, A442C and other variants. Methods We selected 300 clinic or hospitalized patients in our hospital during the period of May 2011 to October 2012. Cervical exfoliated cells were harvested by Thinprep cytologic test (TCT). A PCR sequencing assay was performed to detect HPV16 E2, E6 and E7 gene variants. One year later, the test was repeated. The patients with persistent infection underwent cervical biopsy by colposcopy for pathological examination. SP immunohistochemical method was applied to detect E7 protein expression level in all the patients. Results After one year, of 292 patients who were successfully sequenced, 259 were chronic cervicitis, 32 were cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade I (CINI), and one was cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade II (CINII). E7 protein expressed in each variant. But the expression of E7 protein in patients with different variant infection had no significant difference from each other. Conclusions E7 protein may be play a role in the early stages of HPV16?induced cervical lesions. But E7 protein may not be a reference index of the different carcinogenic mechanism between different HPV16 variants.