Overexpression of protein p16 INK4a as a marker for cervical dysplasia induced by HPV infection

Establishing diagnoses of early stages of cervical carcinoma is due to the population-wide screening protocols which allow identifying precancerogenic lesions by the use of cytological smear analysis. We aimed to detect p 16 11113 on conventional Pap smears and to examine it2 s potential as a biomarker for oncogenic HPV infection in cervical lesions. Conventional Pap-smears were taken from 79 patients and analyzed. Genotypisation of HPV was preformed and found high risk HPV in all high grade SIL (FIG-SIL) and carcinomas as well as in some of the low grade SIL (LG-SIL) lesion. Immunoassaying with p16(INK4a), were preformed on fresh taken smears or on decolorized previously taken Pap smears slides. The portion of p16(INK4a)-positive samples increases in the following row: normal (1/14 - 7, 14%) - LG SIL (7/24 - 29, 16%) - HG SIL (100%) - carcinoma (100%). Overexpression of the protein p16(INK4a) is typical for lesions where the persistent HPV infection exists and the genome of the virus is incorporated into the host DNA.