Loading...
To develop the next generation of agents and treatments for the common and persistent infections caused by human papillomavirus virus (HPV), we need to understand the virus's biology. Recent studies emphasize the role of protease modification in allowing intracellular infection. Protease inhibitors are a mainstay of pharmacological chemistry and could lead to many new therapies for HPV infection.
The surface of HPV is composed of two proteins. L1 is the major structural protein, but the second protein, L2, is needed for cellular HPV infection. Absent this second protein, L1 self-assembles into noninfectious but immunogenic particles; such particles form the basis of current HPV vaccine prophylaxis. In detailed studies of…