The beta HPVs have been associated with skin cancers, but an etiological role remains to be proven.
•
A role for the beta HPVs in non-melanoma skin cancer would be in initiation, not maintenance.
•
The beta E2, E6 and E7 genes may each have oncogenic functions.
Abstract
A role for the beta genus HPVs in keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) remains to be established. In this article we examine the potential role of the beta HPVs in cancer revealed by the epidemiology associating these viruses with KC and supported by oncogenic properties of the beta HPV proteins. Unlike the cancer associated alpha genus HPVs, in which transcriptionally active viral genomes are invariably found associated with the cancers, that is not the case for the beta genus HPVs and keratinocyte carcinomas. Thus a role for the beta HPVs in KC would necessarily be in the carcinogenesis initiation and not in the maintenance of the tumor.
