Association between cyclin D1 (CCND1) gene amplification and human papillomavirus infection in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) seem to follow a multistep process of carcinogenesis in which chemical and/or viral agents are associated with specific genetic alterations. The prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the amplification of the cyclin D1 (CCND1) gene were evaluated in a series of 75 laryngeal SCCs by PCR with HPV consensus primers and Southern blot analysis with a CCND1-specific probe, respectively. HPV DNA was detected in 22 of 75 (29.3%) tumors, and it belonged almost exclusively to the highly oncogenic HPV-16, HPV-18, and HPV-33. CCND1 gene amplification was found in 15 of 75 (20%) tumors, and it was associated with HPV infection in a statistically significant manner (chi2 = 20.3; P < 0.001). Because the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 from high-risk HPV types are known to promote genomic rearrangements, these findings suggest that amplification of the CCND1 gene in laryngeal SCCs may occur as a consequence of the genomic instability associated with HPV infection. In turn, amplified CCND1, either alone or in conjunction with a direct action of the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7, could lead to a perturbation of the cell cycle. This model could explain the involvement of high-risk HPV types in laryngeal carcinogenesis.