Novel Method for Detection, Quantification and Cytopathic Changes in Developed Epithelial Cell Line with Human Papillomaviruses-16 Infection

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) belong to the class of DNA viruses which are known to cause different human cancers. Development of new diagnostic methods and tools to study virus biology and mechanism of infection had been strongly felt in order to prevent HPV infections. In the present study we have designed new set of primers from E6 gene of HPV for its detection using PCR with an increased sensitivity of upto 0.2 pg. Hence, we established and characterized a new cervical epithelial cell line designated as CEC to be used as an in vitro tool for studying viral biology in order to prevent HPV infections. The interaction of HPV with CEC cells resulted in its neoplastic transformation and cytological changes such as multinucleation, nuclear irregularity, nuclear enlargement and perinuclear halos. CEC cell line was thus successfully established as an in vitro model system for studying interaction of HPV with squamous cervical epithelial cells.