Infections with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), mainly HPV type 16, can cause malignant transformation of the human cervical epithelium and cervical cancer (CxCa). Very little is known about the quantitative expression of HPV16 transcripts in cervical lesions of different grades. We have analysed the viral transcriptome in 80 HPV16 DNA positive cervical smears including lesions of different cytological grades, using nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA)-Luminex hybridisation assays quantifying spliced and unspliced HPV16 transcripts. Based on the quantitative analysis of single transcripts, highly significant changes in transcript levels were observed between different grades of cervical lesions. In conclusion, quantitative expression changes of HPV16 transcript markers may be involved in tumour progression. This study provides a basis for selection of candidate RNA markers for diagnostics of HPV16-related disease.
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