Analysis of the Impact of Human Papillomavirus Type 5 E2 Serine 255 Phosphorylation on the Viral Genome Replication and E2 Protein Stability

Abstract

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are associated with the number of diseases from genital warts to cancer. While vaccination grants immunity to the wide range of HPV strains, it is important to develop effective treatment strategies to counter already established infections in order to prevent the egress of new strains of the virus. E2 is one of the most promising targets for development of therapeutic agents against the established HPV infections and, as many other proteins, it undergoes post-translational modifications changing the properties and the functions of this protein. This work is focused on investigating the effects of the phosphorylation at Serine 255 residue on the stability of HPV type 5 E2 protein and replication of the viral genome. The results of this work can benefit the projects focused on the treatment of HPV infection through the disruption of E2 functions and synthesis.