Persistent human papilloma viruses (HPV) infection is known to play a significant role in cervical cancer development. Previous study in West Java – Indonesia has showed that high risk HPV genotypes infected the cervical tissue in multiple infection, predominantly by HPV-16.1 Interestingly, HPV-16 circulated in Indonesia have a typical Javanese mutation.2 As Indonesia has various ethnicities, HPV circulated in Indonesia may also derive from various HPV-variants. The aim of the study was to explore the phylogenetic tree of HPV-16 infecting the cervical cancer patients from West-Java, Indonesia.
Viral DNA was extracted from randomly chosen cervical cancer biopsies archive samples in the period of 2011-2012, and was subjected to genotype determination using the diagnostic linear array genotyping test (Roche). After confirming the HPV-16 genotype infection, L1 gene was amplified using self designed primers and sequenced. Phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA program.
Phylogenetic analysis revealed that HPV-16 isolates (n=8) from West Java – Indonesia were in the subgroup of Asia and East Asia variants (n=7). Next to Asian variants, the sequence alignment also showed African variant (n=1).
Although in our study none of the isolates had been infected by HPV-16 from European variant, but other study from Jakarta showed HPV-16 from European variant indicating that Indonesia was a melting point place in the past history. Further study in HPV phylogenetic tree in multiple infection from the same cervical tissue may be of great interest.
1. Sahiratmadja E, Tobing MDL, Dewayani BM, Hernowo BS, Susanto H. Multiple human papilloma virus infections predominant in squamous cell cervical carcinoma in Bandung. Univ Med 2014;33:58-64
2. de Boer MA, Peters LA, Aziz MF, Siregar B, Cornain S, Vrede MA, Jordanova ES, Kolkman-Uljee S, Fleuren GJ. Human papillomavirus type 16 E6, E7, and L1 variants in cervical cancer in Indonesia, Suriname, and The Netherlands. Gynecol Oncol. 2004;94(2):488-94.