HPV16 E6 upregulates Aurora A expression

Overexpression of Aurora A kinase occurs in certain types of cancer, and therefore results in chromosome instability and phosphorylation-mediated ubiquitylation and degradation of p53 for tumorigenesis. The high-risk subtype human papillomavirus (HPV)16 early oncoprotein E6 is a major contributor inducing host cell immortalization and transformation through interaction with a number of cellular factors. In the present study, co-immunoprecipitation, glutathione S-transferase pull-down and immunostaining were used to show that HPV16 E6 and Aurora A bind to each other in vivo and in vitro. Western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to reveal that HPV16 E6 inhibited cell apoptosis by stabilizing Aurora A expression. The present study may report a new mechanism for the involvement of HPV16 E6 in carcinogenesis, as HPV16 E6 elevates Aurora A expression and the latter may be a common target for oncogenic viruses that result in cell carcinogenesis.