Bioinformatics analysis of immune characteristics in tumors with alternative tumorigenesis pathways associated with human papillomaviruses

Abstract

Human papillomaviruses induce a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and anogenital cancers, particularly cervical cancer. The main viral proteins that contribute to tumorigenesis are the E6 and E7 oncoproteins, the expression of which is usually enhanced after the integration of viral DNA into the host genome. Recently, an alternative tumorigenesis pathway characterized by extrachromosomal HPV persistence and increased expression of the viral E2, E4, and E5 genes has been suggested. As an antitumor immune response is a crucial factor in the prognosis of HPV-driven cancers, we performed bioinformatics analysis of immune characteristics of HPV-dependent tumors and their association with types of tumorigenesis. Expression or immune-related genes, tumor-infiltrating immune cells, and overall survival were evaluated.