ABSTRACT Objective:

To evaluate the association between p53 polymorphisms and human papillomavirus (HPV) E6/E7 mRNA expression.

Methods:

We analyzed 175 cervical samples from women aged 16-69 years old who were tested for HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression (NucliSENS® EasyQ® HPV).

The samples were divided into three groups:

positive (n = 75) those with positive HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression and positive high-risk HPV Hybrid Capture (HR-HC) test; negative (n = 52) those with negative HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression and positive HR-HC; and control (n = 48) those with negative HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression and negative HR-HC. The p53 polymorphisms at codons 11, 72, and 248 were evaluated through polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).

Results:

The frequency of the arginine/arginine homozygous genotype at codon 72 was significantly higher in the positive (49.3%) than in the negative (32.7%) and control groups (20.8%, p = 0.002*). The frequency of the arginine allele was also significantly higher in the positive (67.3%) than in the negative (53.8%) and control groups (38.5%, p < 0.001*). The arginine/arginine homozygous genotype was significantly associated with positive HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression (positive group) compared with negative and control groups (odds ratio: 2.633; 95% CI, 1.399-4.954, p = 0.003). The frequency of arginine/arginine homozygous genotype at codon 72 remained significantly more frequent in the positive group of women aged ≥30 years than in the other two groups.

Conclusion:

The presence of the p53 arginine/arginine homozygous genotype at codon 72 was significantly associated with the positive HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression.